Pawns and Players of Fate
by ShadowsEmbrace13
Summary: When Emerald and Mercury's first proper job goes south, they don't expect to live very long. But something and someone has different ideas. However, the danger hasn't passed. No one on either side knows exactly where this changed path will lead. 'Destiny's Web: Bk I'
1. A Quirk of Fate

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

 _Fairy tales are told to kids as bedtime stories. Meaningless stories that try and teach kids right from wrong, good from evil. Children have their favourites, ones that they ask for every night. They're not real and the world was never as simple as that. Sometimes life had rules, sometimes life didn't. The line between good and evil could be blurred or not exist at all._

 _Destiny. Did it exist? Do you control your fate or would everything happen despite what you want? Did things just happen or was someone else pulling the strings?_

 _There was no way to know._

* * *

Cinder had known of two Maidens: one in her late twenties and the other a late teenager.

She had chosen to attack the elder Maiden. This had been for two reasons. Number one: the location was convenient as it was close to her latest acquisition and was also close to the White Fang, who she intended to recruit. Number two: the older the Maiden, the more control they had and so when Cinder took it, she would have the same control the original owner did and those that were older tended to have habits to exploit. The younger one was more likely to have a stronger imagination and also wouldn't be alone.

Cinder had picked incorrectly.

While the greater control would lead to a challenging battle, she had believed it would end in her favour. However, she understood now that was impossible. She had not made a mistake in planning nor had any of them made a mistake in its execution. They had greatly underestimated their opponent and had started a fight they could not win.

A retreat was necessary.

Cinder despised failure. In this case, if the attack continued, the only outcome was death. As much as she loathed it, she would have to fall back and rework her plan. While she had known it was a gamble to attack someone with the power of nature, she had believed the odds were in her favour. With any possible gamble, she had lost and she had lost much.

Emerald and Mercury couldn't be saved.

The Maiden would want to keep her power secret, so she would leave no witnesses. Cinder was currently a fair distance away, nursing multiple injuries after her aura shattered. She could see blood on Emerald's arm. Mercury was struggling to get back on his feet.

The Maiden didn't even look tired.

It was a pity. Mercury's fighting skills, obvious even now, would be missed. Emerald's Semblance was exceptional, even if it needed tweaking for use in battle. A waste of potential and a long rewrite of her original plans.

However, there were others to choose from that were just as easy to manipulate.

* * *

Mercury didn't actually fault Cinder for bailing. He had known for a while this was a hopeless fight. The problem was that he couldn't break off long enough to run. He was fast, but the Maiden's attacks were even faster. Nursing several cracked at best ribs wasn't helping him either. Honestly, he didn't see a way out of this.

He had been very lucky that she hadn't incinerated his prosthetics at the beginning. The fire she was streaming at him now certainly would have done so.

Mercury had never heard the story of the Maidens before Cinder had told them. He didn't think Emerald had either. Fairy tales had never been read to them. Then he had been told that Maidens actually existed and they were going to attack one. Who would turn down a fight against someone would could fight with nature?

In hindsight, it hadn't been a very smart idea.

Emerald had frozen when she saw Cinder run. As such, the lightning hit her dead on. She smashed into the ground, gasping for breath. Getting back up was beyond her.

Mercury had been hit with a stray bolt as well. It was nigh on impossible not to; the electricity was everywhere. He had dodged three and got smacked by a fourth, then a fifth when he was down. He too was struggling to breathe.

For a moment, the air was still and quiet.

Then a cry pierced the silence.

A blast from Mercury hit the same invisible force field. With energy he didn't really feel, he was back on his feet and attacking. The Maiden was certainly surprised he was able to and he used that. A few weak hits, then a stronger one to send her back.

She skidded and rolled, regaining her balance. That took two seconds at best.

It should be enough.

Mercury knelt down, putting pressure on the hole in Emerald's side. " _Now_."

Emerald knew what he was saying, but she was drained. Cinder had gone, she had no energy left, and there was no point. They were both going to die. They couldn't change that. It was typical really. She had tasted happiness and it had been ripped away. She couldn't take another disappointment.

But the part of her that had kept her alive this long obeyed on instinct. Once again, Emerald and Mercury were invisible to the Maiden. She couldn't hold it long, a few seconds at best.

Ignoring his pain, Mercury immediately rolled them to the right and stood up, Emerald in his arms. Her eyes didn't follow them. He knew they didn't have long and he could also see a man in the distance. There wasn't a chance Emerald could fool two people in her state.

Cinder had already left, but Mercury didn't have the time to follow. He picked a different route, heading off the road and into the wilderness. He knew there was an unofficial track there that would lead him into a nearby city, even if he did risk getting hit by a stray something.

Lightning rained down, fire spun and ice crawled along the floor.

But Mercury was already gone.

* * *

Tai sighed softly as picked up the tray, Yang placing a plate of shortbread on it.

Ruby had been ill for a week now. If she hadn't been at home the entire time, he would honestly have thought poison. Once someone's aura unlocked, they didn't get ill. Somehow though, Ruby was.

It wasn't that she was throwing up. The symptoms appeared to be fatigue with a fever, but no sweating. It was very strange. When she was awake, she didn't say anything. She smiled and she ate, but she didn't stay awake for long. She would also rub her chest like she was in pain.

Recently though, she had just been sleeping and the fever had been going down last night.

Yang had quizzed him thoroughly and had been upset when he didn't have an answer for her. He understood and agreed with that. Something was wrong with Ruby and they didn't know what. Something that should be impossible.

Maybe she was feeling a bit better. He could only hope.

 _Oh no…_

Ruby's bed was empty.

* * *

 **AN: The problem I have is that once I get an idea in my head, it doesn't leave until I write it, so I can't really focus on my other stories without starting this one. I didn't intend to put it on here originally, but I want to know what people think, though it may take a few chapters to understand. The next one is going to be longer, but this is a logical place to stop. This will be updated very soon.**


	2. The Hunters Become the Hunted

**AN: I love RWBY. However, I am not associated with Rooster Teeth at all.**

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Mercury made it to Coldhedge city. He was breathing hard and Emerald had long since fallen unconscious. Blood was trickling through his fingers and he knew if she didn't get help soon, she was going to die.

Still, any authority would protect the Maiden and her secrets. Cinder had told them that and, while he should probably double check most of the info she gave them, she probably wasn't wrong about that. They couldn't exactly walk into a hospital.

He stopped in an alley between two skyscrapers and set her down before collapsing himself to catch his breath, making sure to keep one arm firmly on her wound. When his breathing got down to normal, he studied the girl in front of him.

Mercury knew he shouldn't have tried to save her. It wasn't in his nature to care about anyone or anything other than himself. He should have run when the Maiden had been distracted by stabbing Emerald, who must have turned at the last second. For some reason though, he had put himself at risk to save her.

Why? It was completely wrong from his normal behaviour.

 _She hasn't been normal though, has she?_

That was true. Mercury sighed, tilted his head back against the wall and thought about the last week.

He honestly hadn't noticed that he had had an audience when he killed his father until they revealed themselves after the fact. Cinder's offer had been good, but it wasn't the reason he had decided to tag along.

Somehow, he had known Emerald's name before she was introduced. He was able to sleep in the same room without the fear of being gutted when his guard was down. When they had split up in town to ask around for their target, he seemed to know which direction she was in. Right now, he could feel that she was dying like a whisper in his mind.

Those facts bothered him greatly.

Was this some side effect of her Semblance? It didn't explain the rest.

It also didn't explain why he wanted to go west. Coldhedge had not been the nearest city.

It was the same feeling as when the pair had split up, but slightly different. It had the same feel as that unease he had been experiencing over the past week. That same pull to the west. He had seen Emerald look that way a few times, so he wondered if she felt it too.

Somehow, it felt as if something was missing.

His ears caught footsteps a few metres away. That wasn't good. He couldn't carry Emerald any farther though. Looked like he would have a choice to make. If they walked past: brilliant. If they didn't: he would just have to deal with it.

It turned out to be a passing couple. For whatever reason, the man was staring at the building he just passed, so naturally his gaze landed on the two still figures collapsed in the alley.

"You two alright? Something wrong?"

Mercury was about to give a snappy retort when he realised the shadows were hiding their condition quite well, but obviously not well enough. It was very clear Emerald wasn't moving on her own. He would have to take a gamble. A hospital was dangerous, but he didn't have any other options. He forced his immediate attack instincts down.

"We got jumped on the way back home. She got stabbed and my scroll's broke." He forced his voice to return to his earlier breathless state. That was actually easy with damaged ribs.

"Oh man…" Classic civilian: the guy was panicking. "Just hang tight okay? I'll call an ambulance."

There was no way to convince him otherwise and Mercury didn't try. He knew someone with more expertise had to treat Emerald. There was no way around it, no matter how much he wished otherwise. He had to hope this gamble paid off better than Cinder's did.

Mercury shifted so he was on his knees. The woman was approaching and he didn't want her to see the legs. It was just going to cause a lot more awkward questions. His story was already suspicious enough and it was going to get worse. There wasn't much he could do.

The woman knelt down (in an expensive dress, Mercury noted) and pressed down on Emerald's wound also. "Do you see who it was?" She took off her cardigan and tried to use it to plug the wound. It was somewhat effective; it wasn't bleeding as heavily as it had been earlier.

 _She's being too helpful._

"No. He was dressed all in black, wearing a mask. I only saw him for a second." Anyone dressed like that wandering around at this time of night had probably been doing something against the law.

"Do you want to call your parents? You can borrow my scroll."

 _I'd have better luck with an Ouija board._

He shook his head as an idea came to him. "That can wait. Her cousin…He doesn't have a scroll. I'll have to go tell him personally and soon. He's very protective of her."

Best to mention some relative, even one that didn't exist. He needed an explanation as to why they were out this late. It wouldn't go well if he said they didn't have anywhere to go.

"Do you want me to go tell him?"

Mercury bit his lip. This would have to be convincing. "He doesn't open the door to strangers." He was tempted to make a comment about girl scouts selling cookies, but decided it was a bad idea. "I'll have to go around myself."

It was then the ambulance arrived. Apparently, the hospital wasn't far or more likely this one had just been patrolling around and happened to be close. Mercury wondered about the crime rate if that was the case.

"Stand aside please miss."

The woman stood and moved aside to allow a medic to take her place. She and the man stayed, but hovered a good few feet away.

 _Vultures. Always happy to play the hero when it doesn't cost them anything. Can't spare anything for someone homeless, can you?_

The things Emerald would say if she could see this.

"Did you see what she was stabbed with?"

Now how to answer this? If he said it was a baton with two Dust crystals, he was going to be in a lot of trouble. If he didn't, they might not be able to treat Emerald. The witnesses were a bit of a problem as well. He couldn't change his story now.

"I don't know. It…" What should he say? "It was bulky and coloured. Almost looked like a rock, but maybe it was…" He trailed off, the implication obvious.

"You think it was Dust?"

 _Yes._ "I don't know."

"Move back please, sir. We need to stabilise her before we move her."

"How long will that take?"

"Not long, but I'm afraid there won't be enough room for you to ride in the ambulance with her."

Mercury obeyed and realised this was probably the best time to slip off for a few minutes. Emerald wasn't about to be killed in front of witnesses, though inside the hospital was a different story. Short of killing four people, he couldn't stop her going. He would have to catch up with her there.

 _This is a lot of effort for a girl I don't know._

"Our car's not far if you want a lift?" The man had found his voice again, but there was no way Mercury was taking him up on his offer. For all he knew, the man's nervousness was an act.

"It's fine. Her cousin's not far. I'll…" He swallowed as if nervous. "I'll go tell him. At least if he thinks I'm responsible, the ambulance is nearby." While he didn't smile at that, the woman nodded. She had bought his act.

"I'm sure he'll know you're not at fault."

Well, it wasn't really anyone's fault as they had started a fight they couldn't win. "Thanks."

With a final look at Emerald, he ran off. He would be back very soon.

* * *

Qrow rubbed his eyes.

When he arrived at the fight scene, he had glimpsed a boy run off. However, talking to Amber had made him shift his target. He hadn't arrived in time to see a woman in red, but she was sure she had instigated the fight and had left in a different direction. The girl that the boy had carried off had frozen when she ran and even he seemed at least a bit bothered by it. They were probably hired muscle, but would be easy to track. With a stab wound like the one the girl had, she needed professional help.

That was assuming the boy would try to save her.

Now though, he had another problem: Ruby was missing.

Qrow knew she had been ill. He didn't know why, but Tai had told him she had been feeling a bit better the day before. Earlier that day though, she had vanished without a trace. It was very confusing. Ruby hadn't been well enough to leave on her own and her scroll had been left behind. However, the bed was made and her pyjamas were folded under her pillow. There was only one set of clothes missing and Crescent Rose.

Was it possible Ruby had merely gone out for some fresh air? It wasn't like her not to leave a note, but maybe it had slipped her mind. Yang had been left in the house in case she did come back on her own, but Tai had sent him a worrying message: one of the boats they kept harboured to travel to mainland Vale was gone.

That supported the kidnapping theory.

But Qrow doubted Ruby had been left alone for very long. He knew Tai; he had probably spent most of the time at her bedside, leaving only when he had to. Yang was the same and even Zwei would attack an intruder trying to harm them.

So how would someone take her? Why would they?

Tai was following the leads to Vale and would find her. Qrow should focus on his task of finding Amber's assailants.

The woman in red would probably be impossible to find by now. The other two though may not be. If the boy did try and save the girl, he would have to take her to a hospital. Dust in the bloodstream was dangerous and by the time he even reached the city, she would bleeding out. He needed to get to them before the woman in red did.

Typing in a few numbers, he waited for his call to go through.

"Good evening, Brisk Hill Hospital front desk. How may I help you?"

"Hey, I'm looking for a friend of my daughter's. I would like to check that she isn't in the hospital right now. She's late teens, darker skin with red eyes and green hair."

"May I ask why you're calling?"

"My daughter's just got a call from a jokester who likes to make insane tales up. He claims she was stabbed. We don't buy it but I want to check, just to be sure. She doesn't have a scroll I can ring and my daughter's supposed to be seeing her tomorrow morning anyway."

It was a somewhat believable tale. Qrow was hoping the fact he wasn't using names wouldn't be seen as too suspicious.

"One moment sir."

Apparently she bought it but then the check, even without a name, wouldn't take long. They had also most likely heard even more ridiculous stories.

"There is no patient here that you've described sir."

 _What?_

"Thanks a lot. That's a great relief." In reality, it was just the opposite. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's no worry sir. Have a pleasant evening." She hung up.

Well, that was interesting. Maybe the boy had just ditched her. It was possible they were strangers and had only met through the woman in red.

They really needed a name for her.

Still, the boy was running around on prosthetic legs and his jacket would be covered in blood. Not an everyday occurrence, especially as Grimm blood faded with the body. Anyone who saw him would remember him.

The question then became where to look. The boy had been heading west. Maybe he bypassed Brisk Hill and headed somewhere else. The closest city then would be Coldhedge, unless he stopped somewhere not on a map.

Qrow shifted into the bird and flew up high. His best chance was to try and trace which direction he went. He wouldn't be able to cover his tracks and if he dumped the girl, there was a chance he would find her, though probably not alive.

* * *

As it happened, Mercury returned just as the ambulance pulled away. He hadn't gone very far, just far enough to swipe some clothes. They didn't notice any difference fortunately. He got the offer again for a lift, but he still refused. He didn't want to owe anyone any favours and he had spent too much time around them as it was. They did give him directions, at least.

By the time he got to the hospital, Emerald was in surgery. That was very bad, for a lot of reasons. At least so far, he hadn't been asked any awkward questions, except if the blood on his jacket was his. When a nurse offered to clean it and assured him it was free when he pointed out he didn't have any money on him, he handed it over. Most people don't go walking around with blood on their clothes. The trick was making sure she didn't notice his damaged ribs. She didn't say anything about the scars on his arms if she even noticed them.

He got it back not half an hour later, perfectly clean.

Now though, he had nothing to do but wait. He made sure to keep his breathing deep, despite his chest protesting. Pain was nothing new to him and he certainly knew the feel of broken ribs. He also knew that they were normally left to heal on their own, so he himself didn't need to see a doctor. Burns and scrapes also tended to heal well on their own.

 _So, what now?_

It was a good question.

One thing he did know was that they couldn't stay here. As soon as Emerald was able to travel, they had to go, maybe even before that. They were far too easy to trace here for someone who was looking for them and Mercury had no doubt someone would. Still, where did they go? Mercury didn't just have no money on him, he didn't have any at all. He was very sure Emerald was the same.

All things considered, they didn't have many options.

Emerald had grown up on the streets. Maybe she would have a better idea. Besides, he had been trained as an assassin and there was always a request for them. Cinder wasn't the only client around.

Cinder. It would probably be very wise to avoid her. At least, for now.

What to do next?

 _Although…_

There was still that odd feeling, the desire to head west. Maybe he should follow it and find out exactly what it was. It was easy enough to ignore, but it was still frustrating and he would admit he was curious.

Later though.

The first step would be to find a place to stay, somewhere safe he could leave Emerald to recover if she still needs it (and she probably would). There were plenty of shops around to rob for food, but the problem was money. How had Emerald gotten around that and had never been caught?

Mercury managed to avoid chuckling aloud. His first job and he was probably one of the most unknown, but also one of the most wanted people on Remnant. Not bad at all, though it would have been nice if he had walked away from it with more rewards than his life. Oh well, he couldn't have everything.

 _Or maybe, I did get something…_

Why was he so keen to save her?

* * *

Ruby had absolutely no idea where she was going.

She knew she was needed somewhere. She didn't know where, but she knew she was going in the right direction. She also didn't know how far she was going. Something was calling to her and she needed to listen. Something tragic, but better than it had been a few hours before.

Something was missing.

If Ruby stopped to consider the situation, she would have realised she hadn't thought this through at all. It only occurred to her that her family had no idea where she had gone at sunset. She didn't turn around though.

She hoped they would understand. But how would they understand something she didn't understand herself?

Ruby did feel a lot better than she had. It had started about a week ago, almost a weight on her heart. The headache had followed soon after, but that had been easy to ignore. Most of the problems could be dealt with by sleeping. In honesty, she had been too tired to talk.

Earlier though, her head had become clearer and murkier.

Go east. Go east and help. Whenever she tried to focus, that's all she could make out and she wasn't sure that was right. Something was drawing her that way though.

That was all that was important.

* * *

There wasn't a blood trail. Fortunately or not, there wasn't a body either.

Now Qrow was very confused. The tracks took him west, then north. For some reason, they continued west, but then turned south. This happened three times. It was almost as if the boy himself had no idea where he was going or had changed his mind a few times to head to Coldhedge rather than Brisk Hill.

Why? If he was worried about being followed, he would have covered his tracks better. The girl probably didn't have the time for him to backtrack several times, but if he was still carrying her, why would he pick this roundabout route?

Now he had arrived at the city though, he was doubtful he would find a body. If she was carried this far, he would probably finish the journey at the hospital. After that fight, he needed medical attention as well.

Coldhedge hospital had stricter policies than the one in Brisk Hill. Qrow couldn't just ring up and ask about a patient. While the injuries at Brisk Hill were normally the result of Grimm, humans were the main cause in Coldhedge. As a result, the staff became a little pickier with who they allowed to visit, especially if the patient themselves hadn't cleared them.

Qrow was a known figure there. He would be let in after he jumped through a few hoops. He had often investigated attacks in Coldhedge as it was fairly close to Patch.

Movement in a window snapped him back to reality. He had arrived at the hospital and was hoping to get some answers. However, even if he had found the ones he was looking for, there was going to be a huge problem to get them to talk.

He also had to be careful. Amber had told him the girl was an illusionist and the boy had skill that was very impressive for his age. Even if the illusionist was unable to fight, he was still a danger. If he had carried her this far, he probably wasn't going to leave her now. Plus, a battle in a hospital was a disaster waiting to happen.

Naturally, for insane o'clock in the morning, the area was empty and so was the hospital lobby.

Fortunately, the one behind the desk was known to Qrow and, even better, Qrow was known to him.

"Ah, Mr Branwen. Can I help you?"

"Hopefully Silvo. I'm looking for a girl. Late teens, dark skin, green hair and red eyes. Anyone admitted?"

His fingers began moving on the keys. "Is this girl in danger? Or is she the danger?"

 _Both._ "That's what I'm trying to find out. As I understand it, she was stabbed."

"Stabbed, that's worrying…Hang on…" His eyes scanned the screen, until they stopped. He read the results again. "Err…Yes. She was brought in five hours ago; stabbed by a Dust weapon."

"Got a name?"

"…No. The logs say she was found on Verde Street, between Grande Casino and Hotel Dawn. According to people on the scene, they had been told they were on their way home when they were jumped and she was stabbed."

"The girl said this?" He doubted very much she was able to say anything by then.

"No, the boy who was with her. He was about the same age and showed up here shortly after she came in."

So the two were still together. This could make things easier or it could make things harder. "Did he give a description of their attacker?" This should be good.

"Not a particularly useful one: a man in black with a mask. The only lead would be the weapon. It was certainly unique."

Vague, yet perfectly possible and even likely. Nowhere near enough for someone to look into it. Clever.

"Did the boy give a name?" He was willing to bet good money on 'no'.

"No…However, there is a mention that the boy said they were on their way back from her cousin's. When he was told he couldn't ride with her, he went to talk with them."

The girl had a cousin in Coldhedge. It was possible, but it didn't feel right. He should probably follow up on that. If it was a lie, why would he tell it and take the effort to follow it through? If it wasn't a lie, why didn't he take the girl there?

"Nothing odd about him then?"

"Other than a jacket covered in blood, no. It was checked and confirmed as hers before it was returned."

So he didn't leave to get cleaned up. No, that wasn't true. His prosthetics. He left to cover them up, but how had they been hidden from the medics at the time? Coincidence? Did he visit anyone at all?

"Where are they now?"

"Ward 24A. That's on the third floor." Silvo glanced past Qrow. The pair had been ignoring the woman that had entered halfway through their discussion. "Nurse Sanado."

"Of course."

With a respectful nod to his informant, Qrow left him to his work, following his new guide. The lift only worked with an employer's keycard and the stair doors were locked at this time of night. They were linked to smoke alarms and heat sensors, so if there was a fire they would open. During visitor's hours, there were guest keycards that only opened the door to the ward they were programmed for.

Ironically, these procedures were in place to prevent exactly what they saw when they walked into the ward. The bed was empty.

"Impossible," she gasped.

These kids were trickier than Qrow gave them credit for. "She was treated for a stab wound. I'm guessing that getting out of bed and jumping out of the window was a bit beyond her?"

"She hadn't even woken up after surgery yet."

"But the boy was allowed in?"

"Yes, he waited in the lobby four hours to see her…You think he did this?"

"It's possible. He never came out of the front door or someone would have seen him." That did lead to the question of why. His eyes caught onto the machinery on the far side of the bed. "Is that a life support?"

The nurse shook her head, sending a message on her scroll. "No, it's a life monitor. Heart rate and blood pressure. It should have gone off if she was disconnected from it."

Qrow walked around the bed and immediately understood that problem. "What if it was unplugged?"

"Then it would shut down but it's remarkably dangerous to do that. Why would he do that?" She was clicking numbers again. "Why kidnap her?"

He stood up fully again and happened to glance out the window. That was the same road he had walked on the way there. He did a mental run through of his path and realised that he was in the exact same room he had seen movement in before he entered the building. Unlike in the alleys, the streetlights covered the area.

Then it hit him.

Qrow had seen the boy fleeing the scene. It had never crossed his mind that the boy may have seen _him._

He cancelled her call to the police. "He did what he thought he needed to in order to keep her safe." Safe from the man he had seen with the Maiden they had attacked. "What was her condition? Would she be fine without professional help?"

"What-? No. Maybe. Infection is her greatest concern; there were no problems during surgery. If the wound was continuously treated, then it's possible."

"And if her aura was active?"

"Then she has a better chance. I honestly don't know."

Qrow nodded. "I'll handle it."

This wasn't going to be easy. The boy knew for a fact he was being followed now. He was going to be very careful. However he would need supplies, now including medicine as he insisted on not leaving her behind. He would probably react like a cornered animal when he was found.

If Qrow didn't tread carefully, there would be more blood spilt before he got his answers.

* * *

 **AN: I appreciate that some like this idea and so decided to post this quickly. The other chapters aren't going to be as quick as I have quite a bit of work to do, but as long as people enjoy a fic, I will continue writing it. I intend for updates to be soon.**


	3. Limited Choices

**AN: Disclaimer. In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Yang finished her fifth circuit of the house. She sighed and collapsed on the bed, knowing that she would be doing it again soon.

She didn't think Ruby had left on her own. At full health, Ruby would be strong enough to escape a kidnapper and find her way home, but she wasn't at full health. She had been ill for some stupid reason and no one knew why.

It was beyond frustrating. Why Ruby? How had she caught it? She couldn't have caught it at school. They were in the break between terms at Signal, so both Dad and Uncle Qrow were able to be out to look for her. She wanted to be out with them, doing something rather than just sitting around at home.

Yang knew why she had been left behind. With every passing hour though, she grew more and more worried. It was obvious by now Ruby wasn't coming back on her own. Something must have happened.

Dad had taken Zwei with him. While Yang understood why, she would have appreciated the company. Zwei's behaviour had been odd as well. He hadn't left Ruby alone throughout the past week and had appeared as worried as them. When she vanished though, he seemed to have perked up. He had been happy. It was what made them think that she had left on her own.

That had calmed the pair slightly, but they needed to find Ruby. She was in for one hell of a lecture when she got back.

* * *

Emerald's return to the world of the living was painful.

The burn in her side was expected when she thought of the events of before. The headache was new, but given her Semblance drawbacks she was used to worse. The pain in her chest was more difficult and she had no idea why she had it. All she wanted was to go back to sleep again.

But was she somewhere safe enough to sleep? Despite her body protesting, she cracked her eyes open.

She had felt that she was in a bed, but she didn't recognise the room. It was small, but basic. The sheets were thin, but save for the bed there was no other furniture. Odd. She had thought that buildings had furniture, but not this one.

 _Where am I?_

The last thing she remembered was…

She couldn't remember. Her head hurt too much. She recalled a woman stabbing her, vaguely. She didn't start the fight, but was on the side of the one who had-

Cinder. Cinder had abandoned her.

 ** _"Follow me and you'll never go hungry again."_**

Had Emerald screwed up somehow? She had done everything that Cinder told her to. She messed up a bit on the illusion, but she knew better now and wouldn't make the same mistake again. They could have still won, couldn't they? No, they couldn't but why hadn't Cinder taken her with her?

It didn't matter. She was alone again now.

Her ears caught footsteps on the stairs. She wasn't alone; someone was in this house with her. Was it the one who brought her here? Who had brought her here?

The footsteps approached. The door knob was turned.

Mercury.

 _What?_

She remembered a bit now. One last illusion and being in Mercury's arms as he picked her up. _Mercury_ had saved her. Not Cinder, the one who promised to look after her, but Mercury, the one who she always liked arguing with.

Why?

"Morning." Mercury had something white in his hand as he approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

She tried answering, but it was hard. She couldn't really get her lips to move much.

He frowned. His free hand came up and rested on her forehead. His hand was cold, even the glove. It was quite soothing.

"Still warm…"

Warm? Now he mentioned it, she was a bit. It wasn't too bad though.

Her eyes slipped shut, but she tried hard not to sleep just yet. His hand left and she sensed him move. His fingers touched the burning on her side and soon she could feel the air against the skin. He was treating her wound.

"It looks healthy…"

Well, if he did it himself, then that was good news. A few more stings and he stepped away, the job done for now. It would probably have to be treated later. His hand returned to her forehead.

"So what's wrong with you…?"

Emerald didn't know. Maybe she had just caught some sort of illness. She hadn't for a long while but it usually faded on its own.

She moved her lips again. This time, she managed to get the words out. "You…stayed…"

Her eyes opened again and met his. The grey orbs were softer than she thought.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I don't want to leave you."

It wasn't really what she wanted to hear, but it was what she needed to hear.

She knew what he meant. She had felt far too comfortable around him for someone she just met; someone she had watched kill with no remorse whatsoever. She knew his name before Cinder asked it. She hated that she wanted his company.

Emerald had wanted Cinder to send him away. She didn't like what she felt, not towards a stranger she shouldn't know. Cinder had actually hit her, reminding her that she should be grateful. Emerald had been grateful to Cinder and a part of her was happy when she didn't get rid of him.

She didn't want him to leave her.

Mercury lifted her a bit so he could move her along the bed enough for him to lie down next to her. Emerald turned her head and nuzzled into his shoulder. He froze at first, then sighed and allowed it. He did relax, but it felt forced. She didn't move though.

"Where…?"

"Where are we? An abandoned house in Coldhedge. Don't ask me why I didn't go to Brisk Hill because I don't know. I kept turning myself around. I took you to the hospital, but we were followed, so I brought you here."

"Followed…?" The Maiden followed them? They couldn't beat her.

"A man showed up just as I ran. I saw him again at the hospital."

That was a lot of effort, especially as they had spent most of their time sniping at each other. She definitely wasn't the only one whose feelings were acting strange and he probably tried to deal with it the same way she had: get rid of them.

It hadn't worked, but now she was glad it hadn't.

"Stay…"

"I'm going to have to leave at some point. There's literally nothing in this house. No food, no bandages, nothing. It's far away from everything though and the houses around are abandoned as well. This was the least run down and still has water."

These were the sort of places she stayed in when she was younger. He wasn't wrong about the food problems though. When he left, she just hoped he wasn't gone long. Emerald didn't want to be left alone.

* * *

Zwei was still happy.

Tai had followed him to the harbour where he found the missing boat. He took one of the others to mainland Vale and let Zwei be his compass. Currently, he was heading in a straight line, missing most of the towns and cities. In fact, he had only gone through one village and that had been about an hour before.

Zwei was following Ruby. When Tai asked if there was another scent, the dog shook his head. On one hand, Zwei seemed to think Ruby ran out on her own. On the other, it didn't fit Ruby at all to do something like this. She knew they would worry.

How did she get this far on her own anyway? She had barely been able to move and now she was running across the Kingdom. With her Semblance if Zwei's difficulty in picking up her scent sometimes was any indication. She hadn't taken any supplies with her either, just her weapon. That wasn't really a surprise; she was glued to it.

At least she had taken the time to dress warmer.

By the look of it though, Ruby had run straight through the night. She hadn't stopped. She used her Semblance as long as she could, then walked or ran until her aura recharged enough for her to do so again. She was travelling an insane amount of distance in a very short time.

This wasn't random. She had to be going somewhere.

But where and why?

 _Stay safe, Ruby. I'm coming to get you. Then you're going to be chained to the bed until you go back to school._

* * *

It was a little past midday when Mercury left Emerald and wandered into the occupied areas of the city. There were less people out at night, but there were also alarms for thieves and Mercury was a thief. His intention was to scope out the stores, see what had what he needed and in which he was most likely to get caught. He would then return later in the night to the places with less security.

Strangely, he was very aware he was alone.

Many of the small corner shops had flats living above them, so they almost certainly had alarms. The supermarket wasn't completely out. The cameras did cover the entrance, but they moved and the sensors for the alarms were farther in. Past the tills was a pharmacy where he could snag some medicine if he timed it right.

So far, the only store to steal food from with no risk whatsoever was the butcher's. It was better than nothing, but he knew they would need more. The best way to be a successful thief was to not take too much from one place. Many of them didn't take enough stuff for it to be noticed by the shopkeeper it was missing.

If he and Emerald were sticking around for a few days, then that was the route he needed to take. No need to make people suspicious and actually on the lookout for a thief. They would only amp up their security.

Still, this was Emerald's area of expertise, not his.

However, assassins travel and they couldn't do that right now.

 _Another street, another bust._

Mercury made a note to avoid shopping centres. If by some fluke he managed to get into one without being seen, the cameras in the shop would definitely catch him. Most of the shops in there seemed to be designer stuff anyway, not what he was looking for. They were useless.

He glanced down the next road and saw nothing but restaurants and clothes shops. They weren't important right now either. There was nothing he needed.

 _Okay, that one's good._

Mercury left the shop and headed right for a few steps when he stopped. That was the way he came. He needed to turn around.

Instead, he stood still for six seconds to let someone crash into him.

Mercury stumbled back, hissing slightly while also making a note to remember he had ribs that were definitely broken by now. He fell back into an offensive stance and then saw the person who had knocked into him was on the ground.

A young girl with a red hood.

"Mind looking where you're going Ruby?" Okay, the question was right, but where did the name come from? Now he looked at her though, he knew it was her name. Ruby.

"Sorry Mercury." Ruby hopped to her feet and looked at him with a sheepish smile.

 _Her too?_

Just like with Emerald. He knew her name beforehand and had never seen her before. His stance automatically relaxed. No more want to head west either. Was she the reason for it? Why? What was going on?

 _What am I supposed to say?_

Fortunately for him, she continued. "Sorry again. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"So I noticed. Where were you heading in such a hurry?"

"Umm…" She frowned. "I'm not sure. Here I suppose."

"Here, huh?" Mercury kept himself calm. This girl wasn't a threat to him.

"Yeah…" She trailed off into a yawn. "Not sure why. Just felt like coming here."

He knew the feeling. Quite well recently, in fact. "So you don't live around here?"

"No. Took me from dusk yesterday to get here."

Dusk yesterday? Where on Remnant had she been that it had taken that long? If she had been in a bullhead, it needed to be taken in for repairs.

"Well, you can stay with us for a nap if you want. The house isn't much though, we're only borrowing it for a while. My friend would like the company."

Mercury had been reluctant to leave Emerald on her own, but he had the same feelings towards Ruby as he did towards her. If Emerald was just as comfortable around her, he could leave them both for a little late night scavenging.

"That sounds…" Another yawn. "That sounds great."

 _Apparently staying away from strangers was never taught to this girl._

In fact, the first thing she did was take his hand. That he could handle after a second, but he remained very aware of it. While his conscious mind told him to let go, he didn't the entire journey back. While Emerald had no problem with silence when they had nothing to say, Ruby didn't seem to like it.

"So, do you usually live around here Mercury?"

"Nah. I was brought up outside the Kingdoms. We just happened to stop by here on our way through."

"On the way through to where?"

That was a good question. "I'm not sure. We haven't figured that out yet."

"'Figured that out'?" Ruby obviously didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean? Don't you live anywhere?"

Mercury shrugged. "Not at the moment." There was no point lying about that.

"Oh. I'm sorry Mercury." Ruby sounded genuine.

He gave her a side glance. Despite her obvious tiredness, he didn't see any movement that suggested pain. She looked healthy and well cared for. That prompted his next question.

"What about you, Ruby? Where's home?"

"I live in Patch with my dad, sister, uncle and dog. It's an island off to the side of Vale, but it still counts."

Ruby still had a family. That was going to cause problems. Mercury had caught Emerald staring at a group once and she said that's what she thought a family should be: parents that loved their kids. He hadn't disagreed with her verbally, but thought she was a bit of an idiot. If Ruby's family were like the ones Emerald described, she couldn't stay with him and Emerald, to his disappointment. That disappointment really annoyed him.

"When are you supposed to meet them?" If she agreed to a nap, it might not be for a while, not that he actually had a clock.

"Err…" That wasn't a good start.

"Ruby?"

"I didn't tell them I was leaving."

This should amuse him. In a way, it did. However, he had no idea how to handle this. If Ruby was a run away, then her family may get the authorities involved and that was the last thing Mercury wanted. He couldn't afford to be caught by them and for some reason, he had the feeling they were being followed.

"Not the smartest move Ruby."

"Yeah, I know." She was depressed now. "I should have left a note at least, but it just didn't occur to me. I accidentally left my scroll on the table. They're real worriers too."

 _Ah well. Sucks to be them._

Ruby was going to have to go back eventually, but not right now. They should have kept a closer eye on her.

* * *

Qrow had decided to play a waiting game.

He was currently in crow form and was resting on a streetlamp. The boy had told the nurse he didn't have any money and Qrow thought that was one of the few truths he had actually told. That meant he couldn't buy his meals, so he would have to steal them. He would walk in Qrow's sight eventually.

That tactic worked. After a few hours wait, during the lunch time rush, he spotted the boy. He didn't confront him straight away; the area was too crowded and Qrow had no idea where he had stashed the girl. Two sources were better than one.

The boy entered a lot of shops. He left them all empty handed. A scouting operation, then. He certainly wasn't stupid. He was showing a lot more caution than would be expected for someone who had attacked a Maiden. This continued for about half an hour.

What followed afterwards was something that Qrow could never have imagined.

The boy had left a corner store empty handed again. Then he backtracked for once and stopped. He remained still for six seconds.

Then Ruby ( _Ruby_ ) had crashed into him. Ruby, his niece Ruby.

The two seemed to have a friendly conversation. After a few exchanges, Ruby _took his hand_ and he led her away. Ruby had seemed happy. He was smiling.

What.

Qrow was very sure these two had never met before. What the hell was Ruby thinking? She should be at home, not running off to meet someone she couldn't have any idea where he was. She knew better than to go off with random people, even if she bumped into him first.

He was so bewildered, it took him a few seconds to realise Ruby was alone before the pair walked off together and that she seemed well enough to be running around. Whatever had been affecting her before was gone. That wasn't as much of a relief as it should have been. Fear was creeping in.

Spreading his wings, Qrow took to the air. Naturally, he followed them, but was cautious to attack. He did not want a hostage situation, especially with Ruby.

There was no sign of that. The two were just talking. That in itself was odd. Ruby was perfectly comfortable with her friends, but she was a little standoffish around new people. There was no sign of nervousness here though. They were both acting as if they had known each other for _years_.

What was going on?

Qrow risked flying a little lower. He wanted to hear their conversation.

They were getting to know each other. This was absolutely ridiculous. Why would they go off with each other if they didn't know one another? Why were they so comfortable with someone they had never met?

He now had a name for the boy at least: Mercury. He didn't get a name for the girl though. Mercury merely referred to her as 'my friend'. Ruby didn't press on that point.

According to Mercury, he didn't have a home. When he asked about Ruby's, she gave him an honest answer and the rest of it, about forgetting to leave a note and not taking her scroll, explained a lot but was still missing something. Why had Ruby been in such a hurry?

"Can I borrow your scroll? I should probably call home."

"Sorry. I don't have one and neither does she."

"Didn't your parents get one for you?"

"No parents either."

Ruby hesitated a bit, almost like she was afraid to ask. "What about friends?"

"Just her."

If he was being truthful, he was being very helpful. He didn't seem bothered by Ruby's borderline interrogation. No home and no family; someone like that would attack a Maiden if someone else hired them to.

"And she's ill."

 _What?_

"Yeah and I don't know why."

 _Taking her from the hospital probably didn't help._

"What about a doctor? Can't they help? I mean, they couldn't help me last week but it's probably not the same thing."

"I can't take her to a doctor Ruby."

"Why not?"

He hesitated here. Qrow didn't blame him. He had managed to befriend someone and now he had to explain that he had tried to kill somebody very important and was actually on the run. This was where the lies would start, if they hadn't already. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"We did something illegal, immoral…stupid, you name it. We've already been followed to the hospital once and I can't approach a doctor without taking that risk it would get back to them."

 _You have got to be kidding. He actually said that?_

Qrow's talons caught on the next streetlamp. Mercury immediately looked back, scanning the area. His eyes did see the bird, but then dismissed it as he searched for something more human. The pair had stopped and Ruby was looking confused, but not afraid.

"Mercury…" He ignored her, still looking for the threat he thought he heard. Ruby tugged on his hand a little and he finally met her gaze. "Mercury, what did you do?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"We tried to kill someone."

 _What is he doing?_

Ruby tilted her head. Her hand dropped from his, but she didn't step away. Mercury didn't appear to react; he was as calm as ever.

"…Why?"

"That's…not a question with a simple answer, Ruby."

Was he referring to the Maiden or themselves there?

"But you will tell me?"

"Yes, but not out here."

Ruby searched his face and Qrow was sure he saw Mercury tense a little. He doubted it was a guilty conscience but then what other reason was there? Fear of losing a friend he had known for fifteen minutes?

"Okay. Let's go see our friend and then you're going to tell me everything."

"…Fine."

 _Everything, huh?_

Interestingly, Ruby headed towards one of the houses, but Mercury had one final glance around. Then he followed her inside. Ruby had guessed the house right the first time.

Now Qrow had a few options. He flew around the house and couldn't see them, but did see a room in the back with the curtains closed. He rested on a tree in their back garden and thought. The first question was obvious: would they hurt Ruby?

Despite the events of yesterday, Qrow was certain the answer was no. One theory was that Mercury intended to kill her and so had no problems telling her the truth. What would be the point though? On top of which, Ruby had seemed to want to accompany him, not him inviting her along. Ruby had said 'her uncle'; she hadn't described him so Mercury wouldn't know that this uncle was the one tailing him.

Something in the back of his mind was telling him he was looking at this wrong.

Trying to focus on Mercury's actions didn't get him anywhere. Strangely, his weren't the most suspicious; Ruby's were. The only odd thing Mercury had done was stand there for several seconds and let her hit him. Almost like he was expecting it-

 _What if he was?_

As ridiculous as that thought was, Qrow stopped to examine it. Ruby had been ill the past week. She miraculously recovers and heads well out of her way to meet Mercury. Ruby somehow knows that the girl is ill, despite Mercury not telling her. Ruby knows which house the girl is in without Mercury pointing it out and there were no numbers on the doors for him to tell her before. Ruby had taken his hand, not the other way around. They're strangers, but are comfortable enough with one another as if they're not.

Qrow was missing something, but he wasn't sure what.

He was tempted to shift and call Tai, but if Mercury happened to spot him, they would leave and he was very sure Ruby would go with them. If she saw him, then she may either convince them to stay or more likely push them into a corner. He got the feeling Ruby was safe, provided that nothing happened to make them act rashly.

There was something about the situation that he had heard of before.

Qrow rested on the roof all night. He never heard raised voices. He never heard signs of a scuffle either. It was dangerous to leave Ruby, but revealing himself with Mercury around put her in too much danger. He expected the boy to leave during the night for his robbing spree.

Mercury didn't leave until well into the next morning. He appeared…calm. Almost happy in fact.

As none of them had a key to the front door, it was left unlocked. Once he was certain Mercury was gone and wasn't coming back anytime soon, Qrow landed as a human and headed inside.

The place was a dump, but it was a clean dump. Nothing at all inside. He immediately heard Ruby's voice upstairs and let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't catch the words, but she seemed upbeat. He heard another female voice as well and headed up there.

The stranger's voice fell quiet, probably hearing him on the stairs.

"…so Zwei then jumps on Yang's bed, mud and all…Something wrong?"

Qrow remembered that incident and he smiled slightly. Yang had been furious and that was before Ruby washed him with Yang's shampoo.

"That doesn't sound like Mercury."

The girl had good ears. She also didn't sound ill.

The door was slightly ajar. The bed was against the far wall near the window, but his eyes only caught the edge of Ruby's cape. The door blocked the rest. Keeping one hand on his scythe, he pushed it open.

"Uncle Qrow!"

And almost skidded back as Ruby hit him full force.

"Had a nice little run, have we Ruby?" Qrow's tone was light. Ruby looked fine.

She winced. "I'm sorry. I should have said something, I know I should have, but…well, I was in a hurry. I'm sorry." She twirled her fingers. "How much trouble am I in?"

"You're going to have to ask your dad that."

Ruby groaned. "He's going to ground me forever."

She probably wasn't wrong.

Qrow though hadn't taken his eyes off the other occupant in the room. She was kneeling on the bed, watching the two very carefully, staying close to the window. It wasn't open, but this illusionist was now looking very healthy. Except for the bandage on her side and a few scratches and burns, she was fine.

Before he had entered, Ruby had been behind her. As if the girl had been _protecting_ her. It was probably Ruby's own reaction that kept her from attacking. She wasn't panicked though. Mercury must have told her they were being followed, but hadn't described him. If he had, Ruby would have made a comment on it being her uncle.

It was the same thing. Ruby was far too comfortable with a stranger than she should be. The girl however had put herself between Ruby and a possible threat.

"Who's your new friend Ruby?"

"Oh this is Emerald. Emerald, my Uncle Qrow."

"Hello," Emerald said. While she relaxed a little, her eyes still flickered between Ruby and Qrow.

"Good to finally meet you." Would she notice? Ruby didn't.

"'Finally'?" Emerald did. Back to tense again. "What do you mean?"

"How much does Ruby know?"

"Uncle Qrow?"

"What does that matter?" Emerald was now very close to the window.

"I know what you did two days ago kid. Does she?"

"Yes." Ruby was standing a bit away from him now, meeting his gaze with strong eyes. She had also moved between him and Emerald. "They told me everything last night; the Maiden, all of it." She blinked. "You're the one who's been following them, aren't you?"

 _Smart girl._ "Yep. I've a few questions for them."

Emerald was probably beginning to panic, but was trying to keep calm. She glanced at the door, but he could tell she dismissed it. It wasn't her closest exit anyway. Ruby's presence was probably the only thing keeping her in the room; the instinct to bolt vs the want to stay.

"And what if I don't want to answer?"

"Emerald?" Ruby looked hurt there.

"You're going to kill us anyway."

"Uncle Qrow, you can't-"

"I'm not going to do anything right now." He had a guess what was going on now. Their interactions, their closeness…He needed a few answers before he was sure. "My first question Emerald, is why Ruby?"

It was clear she wasn't expecting that. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yesterday, I watched Ruby literally bump into Mercury. The two talked a bit and left together. Then he told her that you two tried to kill someone. You told her the rest last night, especially who you two tried to kill. Why? Would you have said the same things to someone else he kidnapped?"

"He didn't kidnap me," Ruby cut in.

"Mercury wouldn't have brought anyone else here." Emerald said that, but he wasn't sure the reason. Was she just defending him or was there something else?

"So why bring Ruby?"

Both were quiet there. Whatever the reason, they didn't want to share. If he was right, it was because their reason didn't make any sense.

"I followed Ruby and Mercury here. I heard their conversation. Were you really ill, Emerald?"

"Yes."

"It wouldn't happen to be a pain in the chest and extreme fatigue, would it?"

Emerald glared. "So it's the same as what Ruby had last week. So what? What do you want from me?"

"And you didn't find that odd? The exact same illness. Just as one gets better, someone else catches it?"

"…What's wrong with me Uncle Qrow?"

 _Both used present tense._

"Just answer me this question Emerald. Before you were told Ruby's name, did you already know it?"

Emerald finally gave him her undivided attention. "Yes."

Qrow met Ruby's confused and hopeful eyes. "And you?"

"Yes. Mercury's too. He knew mine as well. Do you know why?"

Qrow had been right. He wasn't happy about that. "Yes. Have either of you read 'Separated at Birth'?" He doubted Ruby had; it wasn't her kind of book.

Both had the same answer. "No."

"I thought not. It's a story about twins. They were raised apart in two different Kingdoms and when they were adults, they met at a party. They knew each other's names and trusted one another, all before their two minute conversation. Immediately after the party, one twin went to the other's house and bought their own next door."

"So what? It's fiction and it's irrelevant."

"Like the Maidens?" Emerald didn't respond to that. "You might be right. The plot might be made up. The connection between the pair…That was very real. There have been a few records. Five known ones in fact. There may be more. No one knows why."

"…Again, so what? We're not related."

"None of the others were." Qrow folded his arms. "You can still feel it, can't you? Both of you still don't feel right. You still feel some pain. Can you guess why?"

Emerald remained stubbornly silent. Ruby didn't.

"Mercury. He's…too far away."

"You three are now bonded together. For now at least, you have to stay fairly close to one another. Mercury's probably feeling it the most; he's wandering around the city on his own." Half an hour scouting around the day before wasn't very long.

Ruby headed for the door. "So let's go fetch him."

"He's not going to like that."

Ruby looked back at Emerald and frowned. "What do you mean? He doesn't have to be afraid. We're not going to hurt him." She looked at Qrow. "Right?"

Qrow didn't dare to look at Ruby, knowing full well he would be seeing the puppy eyes. He didn't need to see them. "What do you mean? Won't he come back with Ruby?"

"He will. But the second he sees you, he'll see it as betrayal. Even if Ruby tells him on the way, he'll probably slip off before they get here. If he can't trust someone that he feels he should…" Emerald shrugged.

"But wouldn't he listen?" Ruby seemed sad.

"He would listen Ruby, but he wouldn't believe you. He doesn't know you, despite…this. He'll think his best chances would be to leave. No Huntsman would listen to us. Unlike you Ruby, we've never had anyone to look after us. Everyone is a threat."

"Everyone but you two," Qrow pointed out. Never had anyone to look out for them?

"Like I said, he'll see it as betrayal and he'll never trust again. We have no reason to believe anything you say, despite how much it fits."

"And yet you do."

"Says who?" Emerald folded her arms. "I'm not leading you to him."

 _And I had been making progress as well._

Qrow didn't like the fact Ruby was bonded to anyone. Who she was bonded to was even worse. Now that she had though, he couldn't just ignore it. He could persuade Ruby to track him down, but if he ran they would be back to square one.

"So what now Emerald? Have you thought that through?"

"You leave. Take Ruby with you if she wants. You know what I can do. We want to be left alone."

"You…don't want me?"

Emerald winced and actually took her eyes off Qrow for the first time to look at Ruby. He didn't even want to imagine the expression she would see. He would never make his niece cry.

"I do want to stay with you Ruby. But I don't get what I want and it's going to end the same way it did before, but this time, I'm not going to be so lucky."

"You mean abandoned to die, just like the woman in red," Qrow guessed. It had been Mercury that had saved her before and if he ran off, he couldn't do so again.

"Exactly."

Ruby walked over to Emerald slowly and pulled her into a hug. Emerald froze, curling up into herself a little. After a moment, she pulled away. Ruby sat on the bed next to her, gently massaging her shoulders. The girl curled up even more.

"Tell him."

It took a few seconds, but Emerald began to talk.

* * *

Ruby was very nervous.

The three of them had left the house to go find Mercury in the city. If Emerald was right, it was nigh on impossible to talk to him without damaging their friendship. Emerald didn't know anything specific about his childhood, but she had said how she had met him. That had been bad enough.

When he heard about that, Uncle Qrow had agreed that gaining Mercury's trust was a long and uphill battle. Still, he thought that it was doable with no harm to him or the girls. He had said the trick would be to convince him to stick around long enough to actually hear an explanation.

 _Please listen Mercury. I don't want to lose you._

Ruby's and Emerald's compass for Mercury only worked in straight lines and it didn't take into account buildings and other structures. It also didn't tell distance; he could be ten feet away or a thousand. It was a bit disheartening.

Both of their lives had been horrible and it wasn't their fault. Ruby wanted to be a Huntress to help people and they needed help. Even without the bond, Ruby wouldn't have just stood by if she knew. Cinder had gained Emerald's loyalty by offering her food, shelter and, to an extent, love. Ruby couldn't imagine a life without them. It was just so…basic.

Mercury turned a corner in front of them.

Ruby knew that stealing was wrong. Emerald had never had a choice; it was her only way to survive. Mercury didn't have much of a choice now because he was afraid and he had them to support. It wasn't caused by greed or arrogance.

Emerald squeezed her hand a little tighter and the pair stopped. Uncle Qrow kept going, slipping down another side alley to catch up with him. They stayed where they were. Where Mercury had turned down, he only had two options: forward to meet Uncle Qrow or backtracking to meet them. Ruby had said it was like setting a trap and Uncle Qrow agreed that was exactly what they were doing.

It was necessary, but knowing how Mercury was likely to react…It was like a punch in the stomach.

"What if he says 'no'?" Ruby mumbled sadly.

Emerald didn't say anything.

Mercury had happened to pick an alley to slip down, possibly to avoid being seen by someone (most likely his follower from the day before). It wasn't very long, so the pair were close enough to hear Uncle Qrow.

"Most kids that wander in alleys are up to something they don't want their parents to know."

"I won't have a problem then." Mercury sounded okay, but then Emerald had hidden her fear well. Picking a fight with a Huntsman in the middle of a city was a very bad idea.

"So I've heard. Marcus' kid, right? Never did like that guy."

"I imagine your opinions on trivia clashed." Mercury had definitely hesitated there. When Ruby had asked about his father the night before, he had responded the bastard was dead and was staying that way. His reaction here was much calmer and controlled.

"Less our opinions on trivia and more our opinions on life."

"And yet you're here to kill me." It was unnerving to hear the lack of emotion in his voice there. "I'm not going to make it easy."

"I don't doubt it. I'm not here to kill you though."

"Somehow, I find that very hard to believe."

"You can run if you want. You know who you'll find if you head back the way you came. I'm not going to stop you. You can take your friends and go. I already have the information I want."

"So they sold me out."

Ruby felt like her heart had been ripped out. Even half expecting it, it still hit hard. She slipped down the wall, trying hard not to cry. Emerald flinched horribly next to her. The worst part was how factually he said it…as if he had been _expecting_ it…

"Not quite." Uncle Qrow had cut in before Mercury could say anything else. "The girl you met yesterday was my niece. She was very defensive of you, especially when she learnt it was me that was trailing you. I was surprised to find you had actually told her everything last night."

"Obviously not my smartest move."

"I disagree. Ruby would have argued for you even if you hadn't told her anything. She's very loyal to her friends."

"She doesn't know me."

"Not as well as Emerald, I'll give you that. Cut her some slack, she knew your name didn't she? No one's that good at guessing unless they're a psychic. That said, Ruby didn't guess it and I know you didn't either."

"Do you know what's happening to me?" That was the first time there was anything in his tone, even if it was curiosity.

"It's an Animin bond, connecting you to them."

Mercury snorted, obviously in disbelief. "Do you realise how insane that sounds?"

"I know for a fact they exist, Mercury. You three weren't the first. I doubt you'll be the last. Yours and Emerald's was about a week ago. After that, you wanted to head west, to meet Ruby. When Emerald was badly injured, Ruby came to you. That pain isn't as bad now because they're not very far from you."

"It still sounds insane."

"So why are you still here? You could have tried to escape by now."

" _Tried_ being the key word there. I don't fancy my chances of getting around the corner before you shot me. Besides, I bet you're not the only Huntsman in the city. You haven't killed me already, which means you want something from me."

"I've already told you I don't."

"You're lying or you wouldn't have gotten the girls to track me down."

Emerald sat next to Ruby on the wall. Ruby put an arm around her, needing the comfort as well. This time, she didn't pull away. Emerald was very quickly losing one of the only two people she cared about, very soon after Cinder abandoned her. Instead, Mercury had put himself at risk to save her. Ruby wasn't sure she could take it.

"An Animin bond is tricky, especially when first formed. Not much is known about it, but at the moment the three of you will feel pain when you're too far away from each other."

"Your point?"

"None of us want Ruby to leave. That means you coming to live with us."

At first, Mercury said nothing.

Then he laughed. Hard.

"You're serious," Mercury commented after he'd calmed down a bit. "What in the world makes you think I'd agree?"

"Three reasons. One: you don't have many great options right now." Uncle Qrow stopped for a moment here, possibly waiting from a response. He didn't get a verbal one. "Two: you get to stay with Emerald and Ruby without the fear of getting killed."

"And also share a house with a guy who saw what I did, along with a sister and a father who sound very fond of Ruby and probably will consider me a threat to their safety. This third reason better be good."

 _Please Mercury…_

"The third reason is simple and actually helps with that problem. If you die, so do Ruby and Emerald. When one person in an Animin bond dies, the ones they are bonded to will as well."

What? Uncle Qrow hadn't mentioned that!

"Seeing as you apparently left your niece in a house overnight with two people you knew were killers…that doesn't really help with reason three. For all I know, her family's the same."

If it wasn't for the fact that Ruby knew that Mercury had been abused by his father, she would have been very insulted by that. Instead, she just let out a sad sigh. His idea of a family was so wrong.

"Question Mercury: what would have happened if I had entered the house while you were in it?"

"Hmm…We'll never know. Valid point though."

"So…what's your answer?"

Mercury was quiet for a long while here, no doubt thinking it over. An offer from the betrayal from his only friends and a man who had hunted him for the past two days. No one to trust.

 _Please Mercury._

If Mercury chose to run and Uncle Qrow did let him go (Ruby had no doubt he would) then Emerald would leave with him. Ruby really didn't want to leave them, but she didn't want to leave her family either. She didn't doubt the choice she had made last night of staying with her new friends, regardless of that little bombshell her uncle hadn't mentioned before, but she would ask if they didn't mind her visiting her family sometime.

 _Please Mercury, let us help you._

Emerald placed a hand over hers. Emerald had given a preference, not a choice. She wanted to stay with Ruby and go home with her. However, she had made it very clear that she wouldn't leave Mercury. He had looked after her and she had ended up betraying him as a result.

After what felt like forever, they heard Mercury's voice again.

"We don't have anything to pack."

* * *

 **AN: Animin comes from the Latin word 'animus'**


	4. Family Affairs

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Qrow could count on one hand how many times Tai had asked for a swig from his flask. He was very certain this was going to be one of those days.

After Mercury had said his choice, he had turned around to reunite with the girls. He had accepted their hugs, but Qrow saw him tense up as he was touched and take a deep breath. He saw Emerald whisper to him, but he had stayed at a distance to avoid pressuring him. He didn't hear the words. Ruby smiled at least.

The first thing he had done was buy scrolls for Emerald and Mercury. For the time being, Mercury had handed his to Ruby. Qrow had then given Ruby quite a bit of money and told them to go on a shopping spree. The two were going to need a lot more than one set of clothes. He hadn't gone with them, but told Ruby to get what they needed for now and to keep unnecessities to a minimum. He wasn't expecting Ruby to be left with any money.

At least the kids weren't spoilt.

Qrow had asked for, and had been granted, a meeting room in Hotel Dawn. It was on the fourth floor and the window overlooked the shopping street they were currently on. He had asked Tai to meet him here and, given that Ruby had just led the other two into a three storey store, he would be able to see her leave it. Qrow was amused to Zwei happily trot along, separate from Tai and sit outside the shop.

Tai looked exhausted when he walked into the room and collapsed in the chair. "This had better be good Qrow. I want to see my daughter."

Qrow gestured out the window. "She's in that building. The situation's a little more complicated than you think and you aren't going to like it."

"You know what sort of week I've had. I just want to see Ruby."

"Ruby…" Qrow didn't know the proper way to tell someone this, especially a father, but Tai obviously had little patience at the moment. He didn't blame him. "Tai, do you know what an Animin bond is?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. You're saying Ruby's somehow bonded to someone?"

"Two actually. All three of them are bonded to the two others. They need to be kept close together or there's a very good chance Ruby's going to end up ill again."

That convinced Tai this was a conversation he needed to have now. "This bond was the reason Ruby was ill?"

"Yep. The other two, Emerald and Mercury, met last Friday. As two of the bonded had met, they wanted to search out the third, which happens to be Ruby. Two days ago, Emerald was badly injured and the illness shifted to her so Ruby could go them. I don't think it was until Ruby bumped into Mercury she began to think clearly again."

Tai rubbed his head and let out a sigh of relief. Ruby hadn't run away intentionally. "So this bond influences their decisions?"

"I don't know. All I know is that they have to stay together until it stabilises. They can't be very far apart without feeling pain. I imagine that if one of them gets separated, one of them is going to fall ill until it sorts itself out. At the moment, if one dies so do the others, which could be the same day to the same week. That changes when it stabilises, though they don't know that. From talking to them, now they've found one another, there doesn't seem to be any influence to their decisions." From the bond anyway.

"I've heard about something like that, actually. It was between two though, not three."

"I know of five others, but it was the same thing. One of them was between three and the rest two. An Animin bond. No idea how they're formed."

"How far apart?"

"One of them was a twenty minute walk away from the other two this morning and that was too far."

"So separate houses isn't going to be enough. Have you explained this to their families?"

"They don't have any. Emerald was a street kid less than a fortnight ago and Mercury had been physically abused by his father before he killed him that very Friday. They have no one."

"Mercury killed his father?" Understandably, Tai was very concerned about that.

"He was trained as an assassin. The thought though was that he was just pushed too far that night and he had had enough. He himself hasn't said anything."

" _He_ is bonded to Ruby? Can't it be broken?"

"Not without killing Ruby."

Tai's eyes caught the events out the window. Qrow followed his gaze. Ruby had left the shop and had very happily caught Zwei when he jumped into her arms. After a moment, Emerald petted him as well. Mercury seemed to have been delegated to carry the shopping bags, but he didn't approach the dog until Ruby and Zwei turned to look at him. He reached his hand out for Zwei to sniff and jerked it back as if electrocuted when the dog licked it.

The girls laughed.

"Who was his father?"

"Marcus Black."

Tai rested his head on his thumbs. "Haven't heard that name in a long while. Most thought he had retired or had been killed and the body was never found."

"Emerald did say it took all day to find their house and that was with directions. It wasn't until they saw the fire that they found it. I never knew the guy had a son."

"Who's 'they'?"

"Quite possibly the worst person who could have taken them in."

Ruby put Zwei down and gestured to the other two. She gave Zwei one final pat and slipped inside the next store. The other two followed, Emerald giving the dog a pet as well.

"Someone completely immoral, I take it."

"One of the first things she wanted them to do was kill someone else. The three got in over their heads and she abandoned them to die. That's how Emerald was injured." Qrow wasn't going to tell Tai about the Maidens, but he didn't need to. To Tai, who they attacked would be irrelevant.

"And they went along with that?"

"I don't think Mercury knew any better. I doubt his father taught him morals. Emerald was so grateful to have somewhere to belong that she was going to do everything she was told. For a kid who had been starved of basic human rights all her life, she wouldn't care about right and wrong compared to the one who saved her."

There was no way to keep Emerald and Mercury away from Ruby. Without locking up Ruby as well, the other option was to essentially adopt the pair, at least for the short term. Depending on how they settled, that may need to change.

Tai knew that as well. He would never hurt Ruby, so he had to put up with the other two. Yang would agree, with a few curses.

"Okay, let's start with Emerald. What do I need to know?"

Qrow studied everything he had seen about her, both from what she had said to her interactions with Ruby and Mercury. With a little encouragement from Ruby, Emerald had spoken about her past, but what did that mean for them? What problems could occur with her staying with them?

"Emerald is rather simple. She grew up on the streets on her own. No one raised her or she doesn't remember it and she remembers being quite small. Despite that, she does know how to interact socially. She's longed for a family all her life. She is already very fond of Ruby. When they thought they were threatened, Emerald put herself between Ruby and that threat."

Tai managed a smile. "I wonder what Ruby would say in gaining another protective sister. Don't imagine Yang will be very happy." That was an understatement. "Any problems that you can see?"

Now that he mentioned it… "The only thing that might be a problem is that she's been promised a better life before and that nearly ended in her death. I don't think it's fully clicked yet that the last person who took her in didn't care about her at all. When it does, I'm not sure how she'll react."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, then." Tai rubbed his temples. "I'm guessing Mercury's going to be a little more of a problem."

"Emotionally, he is by far the weakest of the three. He was physically abused by Marcus, but that's all I know. I've seen scars on him and he isn't used to physical touch. He tolerates it from the girls, but I don't think he will for anyone else. Most likely, he associates touch with pain."

"Ruby will cure him of that. Qrow, please tell me one thing. Is this a romantic bond?"

That was an interesting question, but it did have a simple answer. "No. At least not on its own. It's definitely a choice between them. There was an Animin bond between twins and one couple with the same bond both married someone else. They were successful marriages too."

"So there's no need to worry about Mercury becoming Ruby's boyfriend?"

"Mercury doesn't know how to be a friend, never mind boyfriend. To get him to that stage is a hell of a lot of progress. He genuinely cares for Ruby though, so he's going to be spending a lot of time with her."

"If he knows his boundaries with both Ruby and Yang, fair enough."

Mercury's words came back to Qrow. He had to be handled a little more delicately than Emerald.

"Be careful Tai. He's a very strong fighter, but he is very willing to take the pain that comes with leaving and if he leaves, Emerald will as well. If he feels threatened, he'll go. Don't push him. It took a bit of convincing to get him to stay."

"Even with the Animin bond?"

"Whether they become ill or not; that's a guess. They all receive pain when they are apart, with a greater distance meaning greater feeling. Mercury is very used to pain."

Emerald would probably adapt to home life quite easily, even though she had been living rough nearly all her life. Mercury, despite being used to living under someone's roof, was probably going to struggle.

* * *

Ruby didn't like clothes shopping. This time though, it wasn't the constant changing of outfits that bothered her.

In honesty, Ruby had expected Emerald at least to have fun and she could tell that she did. The problem though was shared between both her and Mercury: they chose very little. It wasn't that Ruby was short on money, Uncle Qrow had given her plenty. She had thought they would take full advantage. For some reason, they didn't.

When she spotted Mercury cast an eye over sleeping bags though, she immediately knew what they were thinking. Ruby rubbed his wrist, bringing his attention to her. He didn't jerk as badly to her touch that time.

"You're…not sure about this at all, are you?"

Mercury gave her a smile. It looked genuine, but she was sure it was forced. "It's nothing."

If he was lying, then he was very good at it. Ruby was sure he was. His pulse was too fast for him to be telling the truth.

"It'll be okay Merc."

Mercury didn't answer. Emerald re-joined them then, giving Ruby the compass that they had bought. Next term at Signal, she was going to be learning about surviving alone in the wilderness and had been given a list of things to get. Yang had broken hers.

They weren't sure what was going to happen when term started at Signal again. Not only did Ruby and Yang attend Signal, both Dad and Uncle Qrow taught there too, even if Uncle Qrow was sometimes part time. Mercury knew he turned seventeen soon and Emerald thought she was about that age as well. Uncle Qrow agreed that they were skilled enough to get into Beacon with Yang, but there was still a term at Signal left.

They had two weeks before that though.

At the next clothes shop, Ruby was a lot more insistent. Emerald caved in rather quickly, but she had to pull out the puppy dog eyes on Mercury. He had more resistance than Dad, but he still gave up rather soon. Emerald found that funny.

The chuckles faded when Ruby led them into a Mechanic's. She had no idea what sort of maintenance Mercury's prosthetics required, but it was a necessity. He quizzed her a bit on her toolbox at home and he told her she had everything he needed. Her response was to tell him to get a few parts that may be damaged and needed replacing or upgrading.

Mercury did wander around a bit, before he stopped and ran his fingers down a bullet chamber for a shattered police gun. "Ruby, does anyone in your family use Dust rounds?"

"Well, Dad and Yang do. Uncle Qrow does sometimes. Why?"

"I fancied a better long range."

"Oh, okay. There's got to be a Dust shop around here." Ruby was surprised he had any long range at all. She could see why he would want to improve.

Mercury gave her a funny look. "What, just like that?"

Ruby didn't understand. "Yes…? Is something wrong?"

"Dust is pretty expensive Ruby," Emerald pointed out.

Then Ruby understood. They didn't see Dust as a necessity. "It's okay. If Uncle Qrow complains, I'll give him some of my money. I just want to see it. What Dust do you want?"

"Are you sure?" How stubborn was Mercury going to be? "I can't pay you back."

"You can pay me back by showing me how it works. So what'll it be?"

"…Wind. Wind will do nicely."

* * *

Yang jumped when she heard the front door and ran at a speed that rivalled Ruby's to see who it was. As it happened, it was Dad and Zwei. Before disappointment and panic could set in, Zwei barked with his tail wagging. He was in a good mood.

"Where's Ruby?"

"She's on her way home, rather slowly, with Qrow. With a few new friends."

Those words were a relief in so many ways. "New friends? Good for her." Ruby struggled sometimes. "Did they find her?"

"Actually, she found them-"

"What, did she knock into them or something?" She chuckled.

"Apparently yes, actually." That chuckle became a laugh. After dumping a few bags in the guest room, Dad went into the kitchen and then pointed at the sofa. Confused, Yang sat next to him. "There's a few things you need to know about them."

"Like what? Are they bad for Ruby?"

"Just the opposite."

Dad told her a bizarre tale then. Ruby was somehow bonded to two strangers. When the strangers met, Ruby became ill because she was alone. Ruby then _ran halfway across the Kingdom_ to find them, chasing after a feeling that caused them to meet. All because of a bond that made no sense. Why was Ruby connected to someone who grew up outside the Kingdoms and someone who had been a street kid in Vacuo? At least Uncle Qrow knew what it was and Dad had heard of it.

"So the two are staying here for a while?"

"Until the bond stabilises at least so they can be away from each other without harming them. We'll go from there, then."

Yang had no problems with that. She could share her family for a short while. "So what are they like?"

Dad actually seemed to think about that. "They're both rather solitary. They're certainly not social butterflies. Emerald's quite friendly, but Mercury prefers to be alone. I honestly don't know them that well. I only met them today."

"So they're mostly unknowns. Cool." She would have some fun with that.

Two hours later, Yang heard the front door again. This time, she heard a well-loved voice calling for her. Whether Ruby liked it or not, she got a Yang bear hug. "Do _not_ do that again Ruby," Yang scolded as she mostly let go. Uncle Qrow slipped past them.

"I won't. I promise." Ruby did look very guilty, but Yang had to be sure.

"So, how long you grounded for?"

"Until I go to Beacon."

Yep, Ruby was miserable enough. "It could be worse Ruby."

"That's two years Yang!"

"He'll probably let up on your birthday." Although, Ruby's birthday had been last month, so she would still be waiting a while.

"That's still too long."

"Ruby…You scared the life out of us."

Ruby did look depressed. "Yeah, I know."

Yang rubbed her hands together. "Now that's out of the way: introductions!"

Ruby certainly perked up. "Right. Big sis Yang, meet Emerald and Mercury."

Right, first impressions. For starters, they were either hers or Ruby's age (and Yang was thinking probably her own). Emerald was guarded, but curious. Yang was sure she was the street kid. She did seem okay with being around Ruby though. Mercury was different. While Emerald had been studying the house, his eyes had remained on people. Right now, his grey eyes were staring at her with disinterest. He was also a few steps away from the girls.

 _Solitary, huh Dad?_

Well, at least looks wise, Ruby could have done worse. Mercury had better stay away from her romantically though.

"Good to meet you," Emerald answered first.

Mercury smirked. "Likewise."

Things were going to get interesting around here.

* * *

Taiyang liked being an early riser. Too much time in bed was time wasted and he always had something to do. Today, his first order of business was to water the flowers outside. It had been quite a few days of sun and no rain.

He was skimming through the kitchen cupboards when he sighed.

"Qrow, would it kill you to hum a little tune or something when you sneak up on people?"

"Probably."

A thought occurred to Tai. He turned around and leaned against the counter. "So any particular reason you are up this early?" Usually he wasn't up for another hour when he was home.

"Just wondering if you knew when one of our new guests went outside this morning."

Tai frowned and glanced at the cupboards. There was nothing missing, so whoever it was hadn't had breakfast. "Which one and what are they doing?"

"Mercury and he _was_ meditating until I opened the front door. Then he became very defensive."

"Anyone else up?"

"Not yet."

Tai hummed. If no one had eaten yet, then they may as well eat together. He needed to go on a shopping trip anyway, so he may as well use what was left. There was easily enough for a scrambled egg on toast. Possibly with bacon and mushrooms if he didn't overcook them.

The night before, Tai had planned to cook salmon for the four of them, though Ruby running off had kind of ruined that plan. When he found out he was hosting an additional two and would be for a little while, he had changed that to lasagne. Not only was it easier on short notice, it would also be able to teach him a few things. He also didn't have enough salmon for all of them.

He had seen Emerald was malnourished. Despite Cinder's many crimes and cruelty, it would seem she kept her promise to Emerald. She was already on the way to recovery for that, as she ate more than she should have been able to if she was fresh off the street. She also waited for Ruby and Yang to take their share and only went for hers when Qrow and Tai made it clear they were moving after her. Emerald didn't take any more than the sisters did.

Mercury didn't even approach the table until the others were seated and after Qrow made a comment about poisoning the food. While Tai had given Qrow a death glare, he did hear a snort of amusement from Mercury. By the time he turned around, Mercury was in his seat. Like Emerald, he didn't take any more than the sisters did.

There were two things that Emerald and Mercury shared. The first was that they ate very quickly. The second had been easy to see as Yang and Ruby had been eating with them. When Ruby and Yang ate something, they ate their favourite parts first, so they picked their way through both the lasagne and the salad at the same time. Emerald and Mercury didn't; they focused on the higher nutrition before moving on to everything else on the plate.

There was a slight problem for Tai. He had figured out by the end of that dinnertime that these teens would eat anything that was put in front of them. They would also eat the best things for them first. This did make it a little difficult to determine their favourite food.

 _Come to think of it, they probably don't have any._

"The full breakfast Tai?"

"What? Are you not hungry?"

Qrow scoffed. "Like I was turning that down even if I wasn't. What I meant is that they may start to get used to this."

"That's the point." Tai narrowed his eyes. "They're kids Qrow. I get that they screwed up. I get that they haven't really be punished for it other than their injuries. I also get they only did it because they didn't have another option. Until they prove otherwise, I'm deciding they're not bad kids and that's how they're going to be treated."

Qrow gave him a look that he had learned to define as 'that is either the best idea ever or it is going to backfire horribly'. It was surprising how often those two statements coincide.

As it was Qrow who brought them back here in the first place, Tai knew he was on board with it. No matter how reluctantly.

"I also get they make Ruby happy and, quite frankly, she needs to learn how to make friends."

Qrow chuckled at that. "Good luck finding another person near her age that can speak technobabble, as Yang likes to call it."

Okay. Positive: Ruby could talk easily about a topic she really liked. Negative: it didn't deal with the problem that she struggled to talk about anything else other than technobabble.

"Yang also asked what happened to the Scrabble board."

Tai rubbed his temples. "It's in the cupboard in my room. Do they even remember what happened last time?"

Qrow grabbed a mug of coffee. He must be tired. "Probably not. To be fair, I looked and 'chillax' _is_ in the dictionary."

"Since _when_?"

A shrug was his response.

Still, a game of Scrabble would keep them out of trouble for a few hours. Yang and Ruby alone could be a handful. Who knew what trouble they could get into with two more accomplices?

 _Speaking of which…_

Tai heard a door open quietly. It certainly wasn't Yang as she liked to slam them. It was also on the ground floor, not upstairs. That meant it was Emerald.

He pushed the bacon around a little. At the edge of his vision, he could see her eyeing it. Maybe she noticed he saw or suspected it, because she began backing out of the kitchen very slowly.

"Emerald." She froze when Tai called her. He turned to face her properly, though much of his focus remained on not burning the bacon. "How many slices of toast do you want?"

It very obviously took a few seconds for that question to register with her. She glanced at the loaf, maybe counting how many slices there were. "Two please."

 _At least I don't have to teach her manners._

"Hey kid." At Qrow's words, Emerald immediately shifted her attention to him. Defensive. That didn't change when Qrow threw her a cereal bar. "Go get the others for breakfast, would you?"

Emerald was munching it as she headed outside.

"Bribing her already?" Tai asked, almost laughing. He had caught Qrow doing that quite often with the sisters.

"Different reason," Qrow replied. "Tai, do you know why they immediately offered to do the dishes last night?"

"To be useful."

"Yep. Also to earn their meals. And I'm rather worried about the fact Mercury seemed to consider that there was something in the food last night. Not sure if he's paranoid or used to that."

Tai sighed. He glanced out the window. Mercury was now in view, munching on something. Maybe half of Emerald's cereal bar. They were heading back to the house in silence.

"At least I don't have to worry about them trashing the house," he muttered under his breath. "So, for the time being, let them do the dishes." Until they felt comfortable enough that they knew they weren't going to get thrown out.

"Don't worry Tai. I'm sure you can find other chores for the sisters to do."

Tai glared at him. "Now there are five of us for your Semblance, if you don't start pulling your weight, you'll be joining them."

The front door opened. The two adults didn't visibly acknowledge it.

"Okay, not happening." Qrow's scandalous expression was a little too extreme. Still, this was a topic that always resulted in an argument. "And you can't make me."

"Then I'll put your flask into the naughty cage." Raven had helped Summer pick out the best bird cage for the job of putting him in it, only to find herself in it before Qrow. The flask would do just fine. "I have blackmail material and I'm not afraid to use it."

"You'll have to catch me first."

"Over a pile of cookies, I think Ruby will see it my way."

"That's just low."

"Do I need to hide the blender as well?"

"All right, all right! You've made your point." Qrow sighed, becoming serious. "This isn't going to end well Tai."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Qrow glanced at the stairs. It would seem that the two were having a difficult time getting the other girls up. Or probably just Yang. "I thought the idea was to try and sort these two out. Where does getting them killed fit into that?"

"Hey, you know what's going on and, for some bizarre reason, you seemed to know how to get Mercury to eat last night. I can see he's going to be the problem one, so you're going to help. He seems to like you more than me."

His brother in law scoffed. "It's not 'like' Tai. He knows where I stand. He has no idea about you. He's looking for an ulterior motive."

Tai frowned. "He's not going to find one."

"That's the problem and he's not going to believe it."

"And thank you for agreeing to stay." Tai turned off the flame and started to load the plates; Qrow grumbling behind him.

Emerald and Mercury left the upstairs bedroom and he headed to theirs to change. She approached and asked if she could help. Tai smiled at her and asked her to set the table. She returned his smile as she complied. Ruby appeared not two seconds later and chatted about the rules of the Conquering Remnant game as she immediately joined in.

/

Qrow would go on record and say he wasn't happy with this arrangement. He didn't have much room to complain as he didn't like being too much of a hypocrite. A little was fine, but too much and there went his nieces respect.

Still. It had to be a street kid and the son of the most dangerous assassin in the past hundred years at least.

If it had been Cinder that was bonded to Ruby, she would have been visiting her in prison until it was settled. End of story.

At the moment, said street kid was on the couch as Ruby and Yang gave her a crash course on their favourite shows while the assassin kid was outside being irritated by Zwei-

 _Wait. What?_

Qrow had wondered where Zwei had gone. Mercury was leaning against a tree in the shade, literally doing nothing. Nothing but glaring at the dog anyway. Said dog kept pouncing on him, nudging him and generally just being a nuisance. A few times, he bounced away and took that position of front legs bent in the dog way that said 'I want to play'.

Zwei liked them. Qrow had seen one of Yang's friends almost bitten by him and it turned out she had upset Ruby earlier that day. He tended to be a good judge of character. Tai and Qrow still chuckled at the time they took him to Signal and he took an immediate dislike to Mr Shields. While not a _bad_ man, he was certainly the least well-liked by the students. Qrow had no idea if he was actually trustworthy in a fight.

Back to the present.

Zwei had just licked Mercury's arm before bolting back into that playful position.

Qrow tensed.

Mercury just swatted at him. There wasn't much effort in the act. Even if Zwei didn't have aura (how it was so strong, Qrow had no idea), it wouldn't have hurt even if it did connect.

Qrow relaxed slightly.

 _So not an animal abuser. That is one sign of a psychopath, which means so far so good._

Tai immediately saw these two as normal children, just like Ruby and Yang. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he did know some of the problems Raven and Qrow had had.

More importantly, Raven had gone back to the tribe.

 _I wonder if Tai is so willing to give them a chance because he feels he failed Raven._

Qrow glanced at Emerald. She was far more relaxed than Qrow would have thought. In fact, he would use the word 'comfortable'. There wouldn't be many problems with her.

Zwei licked Mercury's arm again, but didn't back off. Mercury ignored him completely.

Tai had had to go out shopping. Qrow would agree that it was needed, but why did he have to disappear for a while on their first full day here?

It didn't look like they were going to cause trouble though. They were just quiet. It was a bit sad when they were compared to Yang and Ruby, who really struggled to sit still for more than ten minutes.

Something that Emerald obviously had no idea how to respond to.

Zwei had given up trying to get Mercury to play. Instead, he had jumped in the teen's lap. Clearly annoyed, Mercury shoved him off. He just kept it up and the teen in turn kept shoving him off.

It would seem the dog had gotten his game.

 _He's not hurting him though._

The kid was certainly stubborn. This game continued for well over four hours. In fact, it only stopped when Tai called Mercury in for dinner. When Mercury got up, Zwei then stole his spot.

Then Ruby didn't let him out of sight for the rest of the evening. From her point of view, he had spent enough time alone today. So she got out the board games, starting with Conquering Remnant because it took several games to get the hang of it.

Qrow then saw Zwei lying on the couch, staring at Mercury with his tail wagging.

Tai met Qrow's eye. He just inaudibly sighed in response. Yeah, he did want to help these kids. It didn't change the fact they tried to rip a Maiden's soul out, so he was a little uneasy having them around his nieces.

 _Please kids. Prove me wrong._

 _/_

"This might be a bit cold."

Taiyang carefully placed the damp cloth against Emerald's side, his arm around her shoulders. She flinched slightly, but made no noise. He cleaned it as gently as he could. It was healing and healing well. It would probably be a week or so before it faded completely.

"There you go. All done."

The bandage was then put on and the painkillers offered. Emerald may not want them during the day, but she had agreed to take them tonight as pain had kept her up the night before.

 _Probably wasn't the only thing._

"Thank you." Emerald hopped off the couch.

Mercury had been watching very closely as Tai treated her wound. He hadn't shown what his injuries were, neither had he told them. Nothing had been missing from their first aid kit either and that was the second thing Tai had shown them. The first had been their bedroom and their sanctuary from them.

Yang and Ruby had already gone to bed a few minutes ago. They headed to their room without a word to Taiyang or each other.

Tai packed the med kit away and placed it in one of the lower kitchen cabinets, where it always lived.

When he put it back, something hit the floor. Tai picked it up and chuckled. He glanced back at the dog that was in his bed, but was staring at him with one eye shut.

"Really?"

Zwei closed his open eye.

Tai slipped the piece of metal into his pocket. He would return it to Mercury in the morning. No one knew why Zwei insisted on this game of hide and seek, but while Mercury was very frustrated, he didn't do anything to the dog causing the problems.

Maybe Qrow was right. Maybe the teen was using this to closely investigate what was in the house, even if he was furious at Zwei for hiding his things in the first place. Qrow had helped the dog by conveniently leaving furniture in places that allowed Zwei to reach higher hiding places, such as the money drawer.

"Zwei, parts for the boots he's working on is fine. Things he needs for his legs are not."

Zwei whined. He rolled out of the dog bed and, ears drooped, ambled over to the cupboard where they kept the records from their STRQ's time at Beacon. His nose caught the hoop and a hop back opened the door. His head vanished for a second before reappearing with something in his jaws.

 _So that's where the flat head screwdriver went._

Tai took the screwdriver and, after a moment, changed his mind and gave the metal piece to Zwei. With a wagging tail, the dog put the metal piece in and shut the door. He trotted/skipped his way back to the dog bed.

Taiyang wasn't blind to their discomfort. Still, he needed some way to help them relax.

 _Or maybe, Zwei has a good idea._

* * *

Scrabble was easy enough to explain the rules. For Ruby, it was more difficult to win when there were three or four rather than two, but it was more fun.

Besides, Emerald and Mercury had never played before, so they shouldn't be good.

Ruby shifted her letters around. She had an 'r' and 'e', so she could put them at the front of something or at the end of it. A glance at the scores showed she was only 10 off Emerald's current score, who was currently winning.

 _How does she look at her mess of letters and see words like 'dawdle'? I would be stuck on 'waddle' and there was nowhere to get that out. And she got the 'w' on a triple letter. I would have tried to get 'de-' or '-ed' out._

Mercury did it Ruby and Yang's way; he put letters that went together, but only after shifting them around randomly. He hadn't been doing well, but then so far he had only used one consonant and he worked around the ones on the board. Maybe he had a bad hand.

At the moment, Yang had gotten 56 points, so she was catching up. Still 21 off though.

Ruby shifted her letters around. She couldn't see a good place to go. There was one place that would get her 13 points, but there must be something more.

 _Hang on…_

There was one word. Ruby counted the points: 54. That was pretty good and it took advantage of a triple word too.

Naturally, Yang piped up. "Ruby, what is that supposed to mean?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know. I saw Uncle Qrow use it against Dad once. He didn't tell me what it meant and Dad allowed it."

"I don't know Ruby. 'Strappado'…That doesn't even look like a word."

"It is," Mercury commented idly, shifting his letters around again. "It's a method of torture. Your arms-"

"You've made your point, Mercury," Emerald cut in, sharply.

Ruby swallowed, hands shaking a little. She took her four letters back. Put three out. "13."

Mercury frowned. Emerald glared at him. He didn't say anything. He just kept moving his letters around.

Emerald switched letters.

Mercury put out 'clads' for 17.

Yang groaned. "I was hoping for a little more than that." Then she studied the board again. And grinned. Then she put out her seven letter.

"No," Ruby replied instantly. "We agreed on that. 'Chillax' is not a word."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

This continued for about three minutes. Ruby did not care. It was not a word when Yang tried to put it out last time and it still wasn't a word. She did not care that Uncle Qrow had found it in the dictionary afterwards; they had agreed last time not to use it.

"What's going on in here?"

Uh oh.

Dad.

Ruby and Yang pointed to each other. "It's her fault!"

Dad sighed and looked to the other two. Both girls tensed there. But Emerald was trying hard not to laugh and Mercury had been watching with a slight smirk.

In unison, they shrugged.

One glance at the board had Dad groaning. "Of course."

Ruby folded her arms. "It shouldn't be allowed. It wasn't last time and we didn't agree to it."

"It's in the dictionary Ruby," Yang replied cheerfully.

"We didn't allow it last time and we aren't allowing it this time."

"Okay, let's do it this way." Dad dug into his pocket and pulled out a lien card. "Whichever way this lands up, that's who wins the argument."

"Seriously?" Mercury asked.

Dad nodded to him. He flicked it up in the air. It was spinning a lot.

"Line." "Colour."

The lien landed colour side up.

"Yang wins Ruby. It's allowed and it's allowed for all future games."

Ruby grumbled and folded her arms. However, Yang had won fair and square, so she was going to let it go. "Fine."

Yang rustled her hair. That didn't improve her mood. Emerald winning the game did.

Then Ruby got 'chillax' for 118 in the next game. She won that one, with Mercury a close second. She was in a very good mood then.

* * *

Both Tai and Qrow knew it would happen and had expected it to be soon after they arrived.

Three days.

Fortunately, the fight didn't happen inside the house. For whatever reason, all four kids had been outside when it started.

Tai was first alerted by the sound of Yang's gauntlets. They continued for a few minutes, but they stopped by the time he got there. That hadn't been a display. They were around the back of the house. He joined Qrow, who had come from the opposite side.

By the time he got there, Yang was already panting on the ground. Mercury was on his feet a little distance away with no sign of fatigue. Ruby and Emerald were farther away still with Emerald's hand on Ruby's shoulder, probably stopping her from interfering.

When Mercury ran forward though, the hand slipped and Emerald called her friend's name. He didn't stop to her voice, but three steps after he skidded to a halt and backflipped back. Emerald looped an arm around his shoulder then.

"Fight's over Mercury. You've already won. Now you need to stop."

Mercury turned his head to Emerald. He wriggled out of her grip, but he didn't move closer to his downed opponent.

Yang had never lost in close quarter combat before. When she did lose (however rarely) she wasn't normally a sore loser about it. When she brought her fist back to fire another shot, Tai caught her eye and firmly shook his head no. She scowled, but didn't attack.

Mercury saw her move. Fortunately for Yang, so did Emerald. After he moved to dodge it, she pulled him farther to the side, knocking him off balance for a moment. She didn't let go of him. He stopped when he noticed Yang hadn't fired.

Tai definitely saw his discomfort when Emerald grabbed him then. However, that wasn't important right now.

"What happened here?" Tai had been expecting a scuffle sooner or later (probably sooner) and had been willing to just let it happen. This though wasn't just a scuffle or even a spar. That had been a proper fight.

Yang didn't waver under his gaze. Keeping her red sights on Mercury, she stumbled back to her feet and growled.

"Get out of my house."

Mercury scoffed and shoved Emerald off him. "Fine."

"Mercury wait!"

Mercury ignored Ruby. He walked straight past Qrow into the back door. With a blank face, Emerald followed him. She didn't say anything to stop or encourage him.

"I'll try and handle him," Qrow whispered to Tai and also slipped inside after him.

Ruby turned her back on her sister and wandered into the woods. Yang, looking confused, started to go after her.

"Yang. Inside, now."

Yang glared, but did as ordered. The guest room door was closed and Tai didn't hear any voices. That wasn't good.

Once they were in his daughters' room, he shut the door behind him. Yang stood in the centre, looking less angry now and more upset.

"What happened Yang?"

"When I call the cops, it will dealt with."

"You just threw someone out of this house Yang! I had better get a good explanation for that."

"Dad, he's a monster! He killed his own father, for Dust's sake. I wasn't going to let him stay here and kill us. He should be locked up."

"Yang, I'm already aware of that." He should have been completely truthful with her from the beginning, but he had wanted to see more of Mercury's personality first and how he reacted with the girls (he almost had to be forced to). This mess was partly his fault.

"What? You let…Why would you do that?" Anger, with a hint of betrayal. He didn't blame her.

"For the same reason he was invited back here in the first place: Ruby."

"She'll get over it."

"And the bond Yang?"

"It's to keep all of us safe. She'll…" Yang sat on her bed, head down. "She'll manage. If she has to, she'll still visit him. Emerald's still here anyway."

"Emerald will leave with Mercury. Ruby would be alone."

"Emerald would leave? I thought…"

"You thought she would stay with Ruby. All three want to stay together Yang, but if something like this happened, Emerald was always going to leave with Mercury. Ruby's got a family; he's got no one."

"That's his fault."

"He had a good reason Yang." May as well tell her the rest. "His father was an assassin and he had been trained as one as well. Physical abuse was either part of that or just because the father felt like it. One night, he was pushed too far. He had enough and the only way to escape his father was to kill him."

Yang bit her lip. She wasn't convinced. "What about the person they tried to kill?"

How had this argument started? What exactly had the two been talking about before this came up?

"Both Emerald and Mercury tried, Yang. They failed and the person who hired them left them to die. That was why Qrow was tailing them in the first place. When he realised their connection to Ruby, we didn't have a choice. Circumstances turned them into criminals. We had hoped to change that."

"It won't happen."

"It could have. Neither of them ever had the choice. Emerald didn't want to be a thief and I'm sure Mercury would have chosen a different relative than the one he got."

"We don't get those choices."

"No, we don't."

"…Did she know?"

"Yes."

There was a brief silence. Yang traced circles on the mattress.

"So what happens to Ruby now?"

"If Qrow doesn't convince him to stay, we'll soon find out."

/

It didn't take Mercury long to pack. He had never really unpacked and had apparently been ready to go at a moment's notice. He also wasn't in the room when Qrow got there. Emerald shoved one last thing in, flung the bag onto her back and told him Mercury had already left.

"That was fast," Qrow commented as he heard the front door close.

"He was probably planning to leave me here. That's not happening."

Probably. Mercury knew that Emerald loved it here and would want to stay. Also, it was easier on the two that were together if the trio were split up. He knew that Emerald would follow him and had left before she could.

Mercury hadn't gone far. Ruby had confronted him and it looked like the two were arguing. Whenever he stepped forward, she would step in his way. He knew by now he couldn't outrun her, but it was obvious he didn't want to physically fight her.

Verbally was another matter entirely.

"-not important."

"Not important? I want you to stay. Emerald wants you to stay. What do you want?"

"Emerald's fine here. It's not worth getting my throat slit."

"Enough."

Qrow's interruption grabbed Ruby's attention. Mercury walked around her, not bothered by Qrow's presence at all. While it took a few seconds, Ruby did intercept him again.

"Running away Mercury?" Qrow asked with his arms crossed.

"If that's how you want to put it: yeah." He didn't sound bothered at all. It didn't seem like he cared either way.

"You're not afraid of a Maiden, but you're afraid of Yang?"

"I learnt not to fight a lost battle." Translation: killing her is far more trouble than its worth.

"Where would you go?"

"I'm good anywhere."

"No money?"

"I'll get by."

"On your own?"

"No change there."

Had an answer for everything, didn't he? However, Qrow had no doubt that if Mercury walked away now, he could never be saved. He would walk the path Marcus had pushed him down. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but he would someday. He would share the same fate, even if it wasn't the exact same death.

Ruby didn't like those answers either. She stepped forward and swiftly wrapped her arms around him, snuggling into his chest. Her voice, muffled by the jacket, was barely audible.

"Please don't go."

Mercury had frozen; his hands clenched at his side. For a second, Qrow thought he was going to hit her. When he brought his shaking arms up, he placed his hands on Ruby's shoulders and tried to gently push her back.

She just held on tighter.

"Ruby…You're too close…"

She didn't budge.

Mercury's grip on her shoulders must be getting painful. Qrow could see his knuckles were nearly white, even compared to his paler than normal skin. Even so, he was either unable or unwilling to put too much power into his shoves.

Ruby had made her want clear. If he was honest, Qrow wanted him to stay as well and not just because he had to for Ruby's sake. From what he had glimpsed of the real Mercury Black, he liked him. The problem was that those glimpses were from before they came to Patch.

This wasn't the first time Ruby had hugged him. Although, this was probably the first time he hadn't been partly expecting a touch of some kind. He was still wound up in that fight, a fight that by his expectations, wasn't finished. Had Marcus taught him a fight was only over when the opponent was dead, or at the very least incapacitated? Ruby's display of affection then wouldn't even enter his mind.

If so, that was a teaching they needed to overrule.

Emerald, who had been silent and still until now, placed her bag on the floor and walked towards them. Her hands slipped under Mercury's bag and her muscles began to flex. A massage.

Mercury didn't relax under those ministrations. If anything, he became more unnerved. "Emerald…"

"Calm down, Merc. Don't think and just answer. Would we hurt you?"

"…Not intentionally."

"Would you hurt us?"

"Not intentionally."

"Who's more important: Ruby or Yang?"

"Ruby."

"Me or Yang?"

"You."

"Try five for five Mercury. You or Yang?"

"Me."

"Exactly. Now we've established the bimbo doesn't get a choice and you shouldn't listen to her. Besides, you haven't finished those greaves yet and she can be your new test dummy."

Qrow knew he should defend Yang there, but he could see Emerald was getting through. Ruby didn't defend her either, so she agreed Yang had been out of line. Having an argument was one thing, throwing someone out of the house was another matter entirely. Until then, Emerald and Yang had gotten on fairly well. It wasn't just going to be frosty between Mercury and Yang.

Qrow honestly didn't blame her.

"Emerald, if I can't leave when I want to…How is it different from before?"

 _We wouldn't beat you._

Ruby nuzzled him. "We won't hurt you."

Mercury didn't respond to her.

Emerald tilted her head a little, clearly thinking. "I wouldn't argue with you Mercury, if I thought this was what you want. But I don't think it is."

"Know that for a fact, do you?"

"Yes, I do."

He managed to rasp out a chuckle. "Glad one of us does."

It was clear Emerald did. Mercury didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with his new family: Ruby and Emerald. He hadn't tried very hard to throw them off, despite how uneasy and agitated he was. By now, he had stopped trying at all.

"I had better go face my cold reception now, huh."

Emerald hummed and stepped back. "Think of it this way, Merc. A few more months and Yang's off to Beacon. We won't be seeing her for a while."

"There is that."

"What do you mean?" Ruby looked up at him. "I thought you were going too."

"Our thought was in a couple of years."

"A couple…Really?"

"Really," Emerald confirmed, smiling.

Qrow watched the three with a keen eye. If they stuck together, they would be fine.

* * *

 **AN: I would like to give a big thanks to all my readers. I honestly wasn't expecting this kind of response to this idea. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.**

 **One thing I should mention was how one sided the fight was. One reason is that Yang is canonly weak to kicks and another was that she hasn't had as much training as she had in "Fall". She also wasn't expecting him to be that good as she had never seen him fight. She knew he killed, she didn't know how and he looked unarmed.**


	5. Settled In

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

The time before the sisters headed back to Signal was certainly uneasy.

Mercury had said he accepted Yang's apology and Tai's explanation and his attitude hadn't really changed. He had avoided her even before they fought. Emerald was different. She wasn't snippy to Yang, but she was much more abrupt in the conversations they did have. Ruby didn't appear bothered and her interactions with Yang hadn't changed. She did spend a bit more time with Mercury and Emerald though.

Signal wasn't a boarding school and so the sisters were only there during certain hours, with Tai there a little longer after. As it happened, Qrow could get out working on Fridays, but that still left Emerald and Mercury alone in the house for several hours at a time for four days a week.

Grimm population around Patch had never been lower.

The Animin bond had settled a little by then, but there were days that Emerald and Mercury showed up at Signal for lunchtime. These days were random, but at least once a week. None of the other students seemed bothered by them, especially when one of the bullies decided to try to get rid of them.

It didn't end well for him.

All the teachers had agreed months before that it was a matter of time before that idiot wound up in the infirmary by annoying the wrong person. However, Mercury did get into some trouble for knocking the idiot into the fountain and breaking it. They did agree that there was no way he could have known about it as he had never been to that side of the school and so it was written off as an accident.

Qrow later explained the need for restraint to him. Mercury had shrugged, then given the lecture back word for word. He then seemed surprised to be sent off with nothing else happening. He didn't turn his back until he was out of the room.

That told Qrow quite a bit. He mentioned it to Tai, but not the girls. Tai chose not to visibly act on it. He wasn't close enough to Mercury to confront or comfort him and Qrow was already a known entity to the pair.

When some of the bully's friends decided to target Ruby as she seemed to have made friends with them (they didn't know about their living arrangements), Yang showed them why it was a very bad idea to do so. Ruby thanked her, rather be annoyed, as she was expecting. Yang had smiled then.

Things soon settled into a somewhat normal routine.

After a few weeks, while the fight between Yang and Mercury hadn't been forgotten, it had been put to rest. Yang had even allowed herself to be Mercury's test dummy when he finished his greaves, although Emerald had tricked her into it at first. Given that Ruby loved seeing new weapons, Yang only stayed mad for a few hours following Mercury's second win (second total annihilation would be a better description). This time, he only took two steps forward to his defeated opponent before stopping on his own, no illusion needed.

Emerald dropped the passive aggressive attitude completely after that and remained merely civil.

* * *

Five days after Emerald and Mercury had been brought back to Patch, Tai decided to take the kids fishing. Ruby and Yang jumped at the chance, asking if they were going to somewhere they knew or somewhere they didn't. Emerald agreed the second she was asked.

Mercury flat out refused.

Qrow wasn't sure how to take that.

Naturally, this led to Emerald changing her mind. After a heated argument with him behind a closed door, she left with the others. It was a guess whether it was because he changed her mind or because she wanted to get away from him to cool down.

Either way, the result was the same: Mercury was alone in the house with Qrow.

Again, Mercury was outside. He was doing pull ups using one of the branches on the nearby trees. He spent most of his time outside. Maybe he felt safer out there, though Qrow and Tai had a different theory.

Having seen him shift from calm to defensive the second Qrow opened the door, he chose to stay inside for now. He started going through the cabinets, not entirely sure what he was looking for, when he came across something.

Two hours later and Mercury still hadn't come in. It was obvious to Qrow that he could keep going for much longer (he had spent nine hours straight before Ruby dragged him in), but he'd waited long enough. It was also hotter that day than it had been in previous days. So he opened the door and immediately caught the teen's attention.

"Mercury. Come in." Qrow walked into the kitchen. Either he would come in or he wouldn't.

Mercury came in, giving Qrow a very distrustful look. He wasn't trying to hide what he was thinking. "What do you want?"

Qrow went in the fridge, grabbed an unopened bottle of water and held it out. "Careful you don't get heatstroke in the sun, kid."

If anything, Mercury was even more suspicious. He took the bottle and gave it a very thorough check over before opening it. He even tipped it upside down with the lid on to see if any droplets escaped before being satisfied it hadn't been tampered with.

 _That's not just paranoia. Something happened to him. His legs, maybe?_

Mercury downed a quarter of it instantly.

"You haven't been outside very often, have you?" The adults were sure Mercury's lack of colour was due to seeing very little sun when growing up.

It was a second before he answered, weighing up what to say or even whether to answer. "No. So what?"

"So you need to be careful about overheating." Aura protected them from a lot, but not things like that. That needed common sense or, in this case, education. Mercury shrugged. He put the lid back on the bottle. "You need to drink more than that."

The response was biting. "No, I don't."

 _He's not putting the bottle down though. He knows he needs more. Why does everything with him have to be difficult?_

Qrow opened the fridge to show him the package the bottle came out of. Only the one Qrow gave him was missing. "Help yourself to these whenever you want. If you're going to spend so many hours exercising outside, then these should disappear quickly."

That suspicious look was back. Again. Mercury looked at the drinks, before his gaze went to the bottle in his hand. Then he turned to walk outside again, apparently done with this conversation.

"Hey kid." Mercury tensed and turned around. He easily caught what Qrow threw him. "Know what that is?" The teen examined it, but shook his head. "Know what to do with it?"

"I can figure it out."

"Then off you go."

Mercury headed back outside to continue his training.

When Qrow went to bed that night, two more waters were gone and the completed Rubik's cube was sitting on his bed.

/

"Well, these _are_ interesting."

Tai snorted. That was one way of putting it.

Completing a 5x5 Rubik's cube in an hour, despite never seeing one before, was quite impressive. Out of curiosity, Qrow had given them both another two tests: an exam paper for an eleven year old and an IQ test.

They were either very good or very bad. Emerald scored 41% while Mercury was 27% on the written. Maths was a different matter: 92% for both with the same questions wrong. The IQ tests, give or take a few points, showed Emerald was around 132 and Mercury was around 154. Yang and Ruby were both 110-120, depending on their mood.

"Very intelligent, but very uneducated." That had been what they were expecting. Emerald had somehow taught herself to read. "Just as well we didn't try higher."

"They would have scored much higher if we took the questions on verbs, adverbs and adjectives out," Qrow noted. Neither had passed any one of those questions. It was information they hadn't had to know.

 _To be fair, I can't think of any other time other than teaching when I needed to calculate x._

"I can imagine what Yang would say if she saw these."

"Yeah. My worry would be what would happen when Mercury responds with 'Want to see what I learned instead?'"

Tai winced. Somehow, he didn't think it was a coincidence Mercury knew what 'scrappado' was. "That would be a very bad idea." Looks like he had a few nights of tutoring ahead of him. He didn't mind; one of his new pupils was eager to learn.

 _The other might have to be bribed. I can think of a few ways. And he needs to learn what is appropriate in civilised conversation._

* * *

Ruby had detention. Again. To be fair, she hadn't started this particular fight and both sides had detention. Uncle Qrow certainly seemed to be proud of her. She had held her own against someone in the year above her, after all. That may be part of the reason why a different teacher other than Dad or Uncle Qrow oversaw her detention.

So Yang had decided to bake some cookies from scratch for her.

Dad and Uncle Qrow were going to be at Signal for at least another hour, if not two. That left only two to help her with it.

They were in the living room, playing Scrabble. It was a game they seemed to enjoy. And who was the lucky one who got 'reading' out on the triple word?

"Bake?" Emerald asked. The idea was obviously very new to her.

"Yes. Bake." Yang knelt down to glance at her letters. She didn't have a single vowel. "For me, home baked cookies are the best."

She certainly had Emerald's interest. Mercury had been ignoring her. At least, she thought he had been but then he put out 'oven' for 26.

"They can't be that much better to waste time making them yourself than buying them."

 _Challenge accepted._

"Well, it's not like you have anything better to do. So are you going to help or not?"

Emerald put out 'strength', using all of her letters and ending the game in her favour. "I'll help."

The girls stared at Mercury.

"Sure, why not? We get a few cookies out of it."

Yang scowled. "I'm going to make more than a few, Mercury."

"Ruby's home in an hour. There's only going to be a few each for the rest of us." He stood up. "Was he really a year older than her?"

"Yep and she really schooled him!"

"Good on her." Mercury walked into the kitchen, glancing around at the bare worktops. "So where do we start? And how long does it take?"

"Doesn't take long," Yang replied. "Em, know where the sugar and flour is?"

"Yeah," she responded, moving over to the right area. "How much?"

Mercury had already grabbed the scales and switched them on. Yang put a bowl on top and reset it. "Thanks. Need some trays too. Just grab them all."

Normally, they made around eighteen cookies. Yang was going to double that today. Basic maths.

 _Hang on…_

"Mercury, come here a minute." Yang was sure she wasn't wrong, but she had been in this cupboard yesterday and it had been there then. "Do you see the chocolate chips?"

He had a quick look, moving a few plates around. "No. Could have sworn they were in here after dinner last night."

"They were. Someone's eaten them all." There was at least half a bag in there. Could have been Dad or Uncle Qrow. Probably not Ruby as she tended to leave one chocolate chip left. "Great. Mind going out and getting some more?"

"Sure."

When Mercury was gone, Yang pre-set the oven and set about checking everything else. If something was missing, she needed to know before Mercury got back. Everything was in order, so she and Emerald carefully measured the ingredients.

"How often do you bake?" Emerald asked. Yang was showing her the way to crack the egg without the shell accidentally falling in with the yoke.

Yang thought about that. "Every other weekend maybe? Dad likes to make everything from scratch and we prefer it when he makes everything from scratch. Tastes better and it's cheaper."

"You also put in only what you want to put in."

"Exactly."

"Are chocolate chips your favourite?"

"Almost. I like white chocolate chip more. Uncle Qrow and Dad find them too sweet, but Ruby likes them just fine. Her favourite is chocolate cookies with chocolate chip."

"That sounds sweet too."

"It is. These are the cookies Dad and Uncle Qrow like."

While they put the greaseproof paper in the trays and had everything ready, they waited until Mercury got back before putting it together. The chocolate chips weren't needed until the dough was ready, but there was no rush.

Yang knew Emerald would enjoy this. Her smile was relaxed and calm. She had been expecting to need to bribe Mercury or at the least convince him to help shape the dough. His lack of argument was a pleasant surprise.

In fact, she was very sure she caught a small smile on his face for less than a second.

"How long do these need to be in for?" Emerald asked as the oven closed.

"About fifteen minutes. I'll keep an eye on it."

Somehow, this led them back to the Scrabble board. They were halfway through their first game when Mercury said fifteen minutes had passed without looking at a watch. Not bothering to check herself, Yang returned to the oven.

They were ready.

She left the trays on the counter to cool.

Mercury dominated this game. It wasn't that Yang's letters were _bad_ , she just couldn't get them out in good places. Emerald seemed to have the same problem. It said a lot that the first game went to Mercury despite the fact he never got a letter worth more than 2.

Yang could tell from the letters she drew that this game was going to be tough.

"COOKIES!"

"Ruby's back," Mercury noted absentmindedly. "Are we allowing 'ta'?"

Yang thought about that. "Sure." She could use that. In fact, she was going to use that now. It only got her 9, but it was better than swapping.

Ruby appeared in a burst of petals. She was literally bouncing with joy. Her arms wrapped around Yang. Then she vanished in a second and hugged Emerald. She almost knocked Mercury over when she crashed into him.

"Thank you!"

She vanished into the kitchen again.

Mercury grumbled as he steadied himself. Then he put out 'gem' for 22.

Emerald laughed at Yang's scowl.

* * *

Soon enough, Ruby had to spend three days on her own. To make it fairer on the classmates that weren't familiar with the area, Ruby was one of the ones that had to stay just outside of mainland Vale rather than an isolated area of Patch.

At the time, it had been four days since Emerald and Mercury had needed to head to Signal during school hours. However, they were with her in the mornings and evenings. Those three days were going to be difficult for a lot of reasons.

Due to this, Tai had decided to take a risk and allow Emerald and Mercury to be Ruby's 'supervisors'. These were usually a teacher or trusted parents of the other classmates. It was uncommon for it to be someone else, but it was allowed. As Mercury had grown up outside the Kingdoms, he was skilled enough in case something went very wrong but he had to stay away from Ruby and she couldn't know he was there. At least, she couldn't until the three days were over.

A very easy task with Emerald around, although her Semblance and the Animin bond itself was kept a closely guarded secret within the family. Mercury was the official 'supervisor'. Qrow pointed out that if Emerald happened to want to go camping nearby, no one would complain as long as she didn't interfere. What the school didn't know wouldn't hurt them and they currently didn't know the two were living with the family or were close rather than just acquaintances. If the pair remained in the correct direction, Ruby wouldn't know as the bond didn't tell them distance.

Yang had been torn between awe and annoyance at Emerald's Semblance when they eventually told her about it, though that might have been due to Emerald not wanting to tell her at all. She was very quick to agree to not telling anyone else.

She was then talked out of tagging along. There was no way 'subtle' and 'Yang' fit into the same sentence without a negative in it. That argument had been a lot longer, but Tai and Qrow eventually got through. She hadn't been happy.

The night before, Tai found Yang on the couch at a time she should be asleep. He sat next to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

"No."

"Worried about Ruby?"

"A bit."

Tai rubbed her arm. "She'll be fine. Remember how excited you were before you went? You were practically bouncing off the walls."

"I guess."

"No Grimm either, remember?" They never sent the kids into Grimm infested areas. This was a way for them to learn about limited resources and so they didn't need to be worried about being attacked.

"I remember. It's just…" She trailed off.

"Just?"

"I wish I could go instead of them, you know? I mean, I get why they need to and they wouldn't be allowed otherwise, but…" Yang fell quiet.

The room was still for a short while.

"Yang. What's really bothering you?"

"It's just that…well…She's really close to them. She's grown up so much since she met them. A few months ago, she was so carefree and happy. Well, she still is, but…She's more…focused. It's like she matured almost overnight, but is still the same peppy girl."

"Her grades certainly went up since she met them, but I think that's her putting effort into studying. She wasn't using her intelligence as much as she could."

Tai understood what Yang meant. Ruby had always wanted to be a Huntress, but she had been like most 15 year olds and put in the minimum amount of effort into her schoolwork. After her mother died, he had wanted to enjoy her childhood as much as possible. Her grades hadn't been bad, they could just be better. She didn't like studying.

Like Yang, he thought something about them had caused this change. He just didn't know what.

"I know good grades are good for her. I don't have a problem with that. It's that…well…she's growing up so fast…Maybe soon she won't…" Yang mumbled the last words. Tai didn't catch them.

It didn't matter. He knew.

"Ruby will always need you Yang. Never forget that."

Yang shook her head. "I know Ruby wouldn't do that, but…it almost feels like I'm being replaced and there's nothing I can do about it. It's not Ruby's fault and logically it's not really theirs but…" she trailed off.

Tai nodded slightly. This wasn't really anyone's fault. Some things just happened. People can't control what they feel.

"You're her big sister Yang. No one can change that. We might not want it Yang, but Ruby's growing up. That's life. She'll always need you, even when you're both retired due to old age."

"…Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks Dad."

"That's my girl. Better head back to bed before Ruby has to get up in the morning. She claims you can be cranky."

"Am not."

"So who was it that nearly burnt the house down when trying to make scrambled eggs because the microwave was too loud one particular morning?"

"Zwei."

Poor dog was normally a scapegoat for both sisters. At least half the stuff he was accused of was their fault. It wasn't always easy to tell the other half though.

* * *

Breakfast was odd to Mercury and he didn't like it.

His job wouldn't be difficult. All he had to do was keep an eye on Ruby, make sure she wasn't stupid enough to do something ridiculous and make sure he wasn't discovered. The first and last part was easy (he had been trained to follow targets without being noticed) and the second part should be easy if he judged Ruby right (she wasn't an idiot).

Why then did it feel wrong?

When he had asked Emerald, she seemed to think it was because they were spying on someone who they cared about. Morally it was wrong, even if they were doing it to keep her safe. When Mercury pointed out he had never cared about morals, Emerald pointed out he cared about Ruby's happiness as well as her health. It was one thing to be followed by someone doing their job, but these were her friends that were avoiding her, even if they had to. Many wouldn't be happy about that. Mercury wasn't one of them, a job was a job, but he could see her point. Emerald did say that Ruby already knew someone was following her, she just didn't know who. She shouldn't be very angry.

Mercury hoped she wouldn't be. Even a few months ago that would have seemed odd and in a way it still was. He found he didn't really care. It wasn't a few months ago.

Ruby gave everyone hugs just before she left.

"I'll be back soon, okay? Three days is nothing." That whisper and something else made him think she was afraid he was going to try to leave again.

"It'll be fine Ruby."

Ruby was smiling as she walked down the path.

Mercury and Emerald gave her half an hour before they followed her.

Ruby's area was a little outside of Glade Town on mainland Vale. Not quite far enough out for Grimm as the town/village was one of the most peaceful places in Remnant, but far enough that there was no sign of civilisation in any direction for several miles. All three arrived with no problems.

It had been around midday when Ruby reached the right spot. She had spent the rest of daylight exploring the area, then getting firewood after picking a spot she liked. It was sheltered, in case it rained and was on the edge of a clearing.

Mercury landed on the branch next to Emerald, about forty metres away from the little camp, then gone around her to sit by the trunk. He had just taken a trip to the nearby town to grab a few things that weren't in their food packs. Unknown to him, most kids did the same thing he did and get food they wouldn't normally get with their parents around.

Night had fallen about an hour ago.

"I don't think they were on the list," Emerald commented, amused. Ruby was currently roasting marshmallows on the fire.

"Give her credit. She came prepared. They never said this camping trip couldn't be planned." He threw the candy in his mouth. Then he made a mental note to never try and bite a gobstopper again. He wouldn't be surprised if he dislocated his jaw. Emerald saw his expression and giggled. He realised then. "You could have warned me."

"I could've."

Mercury chuckled as well. "You did the same, didn't you?"

She scoffed, but was smiling. "Give me a break, I wasn't very good at reading back then. All I knew is that they lasted hours. I didn't know they were candy."

He stretched his arms and leant back against the trunk with his hands behind his head. May as well make himself comfortable if he was going to be here a while. Now she mentioned it, "How did you learn to read? Who taught you?"

"I taught myself. It started when people were reading signs aloud around the cities and libraries are free to everyone."

"Incredible."

"Thanks." She must know him well enough that he didn't hand out praise unless he thought it was deserved.

After they had no idea how long, Ruby shoved something along the ground then lay down on top of it. The fire was still burning, which was the only thing that was making her visible to her 'supervisors' in the first place.

"Have you used your Semblance at all?"

"Once when it was still light. It's like she's in her own world."

What was she thinking? "So we're her unseen bodyguards."

"We shouldn't be needed, Mercury. We're not expecting trouble. It just some health and safety thing."

"So boredom's our only enemy." Wonderful.

"Exactly."

"And the cold," Mercury added as he saw Emerald shiver. Evidently her jumper wasn't warm enough.

"Vale's colder than Vacuo."

Mercury wouldn't know; he'd never been to Vacuo. His father's house had been in the middle of nowhere between Mistral and Vale. "What about before?"

"It wasn't so bad."

"Liar."

Emerald shrugged, not exactly denying it. She was too stubborn to admit it though.

Mercury sighed. This wasn't as dangerous as carrying her to a hospital when she was dying, he had to remind himself. He could survive one night. He was so blaming Ruby for this and Yang was never going to find out. "Come here."

* * *

Yang prepared herself for bed, glancing at the empty one next to her. It wasn't often that she wasn't sharing (Zwei didn't count), but it felt odd now. It had gone from four teens to one and Yang didn't like it.

Leaving Ruby behind was the one thing she wasn't looking forward to when she went to Beacon.

"Come on Zwei. Off the pillow."

Zwei lifted his head to look at her, then put it down and closed his eyes again.

Yang groaned, picked him up and dumped him on Ruby's bed. He stood up, jumped onto her bed and lay down on her pillow again.

"Now you're just being annoying."

The dog barked. His eyes stayed closed.

She sighed. She fancied a drink of juice anyway. "You had better have moved by the time I get back."

The dog barked again.

Uncle Qrow was sitting at the table, scanning through papers. Half of them looked like school papers and she had no idea what the others were. Since Zwei had decided Yang couldn't go to sleep just yet, she sat down opposite and picked up one of the non-school papers.

"Who's Gyro?"

"A Huntsman in Vacuo." He didn't seem bothered by Yang's snooping. "We were friends at Beacon and kept somewhat in touch. Mostly when we need a favour."

"This just looks like a bunch of numbers in a table. There's no headings."

Uncle Qrow chuckled. "That's the point. If this letter went missing, no one except me would know what it meant."

"Missing? Why would a letter go missing?"

"Intercepted by someone, got lost in the mail, forgotten about, Zwei got to it first…There's a lot of reasons."

"Why not just send it on a scroll?"

"He gave up carrying scrolls when he broke four in one day. It's like a curse. I recommend you never give him yours. It'll break somehow, whether it's his fault or not."

That was pretty remarkable actually. "A Semblance?"

"Nope, just real bad luck. No idea how the rest of the team managed. Probably had something to do with the fact that one of them came from a family that had more money than sense."

"Like Daisy from Signal?"

"Oh, far worse than her."

Yang snorted. She wasn't entirely sure that was possible. You would think Daisy had enough money to buy the entire Kingdom if you listened to her for long enough. Annoyingly, she was an okay fighter.

"It's possible Yang."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"And you'll hate them when you do. Some people just exist to annoy and I swear I've met half of them."

"And the rest are at Signal."

Uncle Qrow chuckled. "So what's up firecracker? I thought you were going to bed."

"Zwei's being a nuisance." Anyone who hadn't met that dog would look at her funny for that, but her family knew. Even the two newbies knew he was no ordinary dog.

"Yeah, he's been doing that a lot recently. No one's told Ruby though. Don't think she's noticed."

"Even to Emerald and Mercury?"

"Especially them. First time they were left in the house alone, Emerald claimed he was acting like their babysitter. When they left to get a look around, he followed them. Wouldn't quit barking when they reached the harbour that day until they turned back. He especially seems to like annoying Mercury when he's alone."

"Which is nearly all the time." Okay, Zwei was definitely getting a few treats for that. "Maybe he's part cat."

"He appears to be missing the ears, whiskers or tail."

"Well, there goes that idea. Shame. I liked the thought of Merkitty. It'd be an improvement."

Uncle Qrow laughed.

* * *

"What did you say?"

Mercury really didn't like to be touched. That fact hadn't changed. While Mercury accepted hers and Ruby's affection, he had never once instigated it. Due to that, his offer to be her bed for the night was something that Emerald was very certain she'd misheard.

"I said come here. I don't want you to freeze."

She hadn't been hearing things. She could refuse, she had slept when she was colder and it had been her own fault for not packing something warmer, but the fact that it was _Mercury_ offering…She did want to say yes. It also meant he was probably going to win any argument she started over this.

 _May as well make it a little easier on him._

Emerald moved slowly, making no sudden moves. Arguing would make him both tenser and more stubborn. She had lost the fight the moment she shivered. It wouldn't be fair to make him even more uncomfortable by making it a big deal.

 _Even if it is._

Mercury was warmer than she expected. The metal guards and bracers were cold, but they lay on top of her jumper so she didn't really feel it. She kept her arms hung very loose around his neck, making very sure there was no chance of choking him in the night. He was a lot more comfortable than she expected.

She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her as well, though she was sure it was a matter of being certain she wouldn't fall out the tree. That was a comfort.

His heart was racing. She stayed very still, not that that was difficult, and after some time it began to slow again. It was taking time, but he was getting better. Emerald had never seen the physical damage he hid despite sharing a room (he always slept in a shirt), but she was certain she wouldn't like it.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Fine. Just…different."

"Just tell me to get off whenever."

Mercury hummed. He was somewhat calm, but far from relaxed. She hoped he would get some rest that night. Rationally she didn't think so, but she had thought it would take a little longer for his obvious tension to fade. There was no danger he would accidentally attack her in the night, though she had to be careful when they woke up.

"Goodnight Merc." She felt safe enough to sleep. He would know that.

"Goodnight Emerald."

Leave Mercury to his thoughts. Both of them had been doing a lot of thinking over the last two months.

Emerald finally had what she had wanted nearly all her life and it felt better than she ever dared to allow herself to dream. It wasn't just the necessities, but that underlying feeling: the feeling that you were loved. She could never have imagined it even if she had dared to try and no intention of giving it up. It wasn't just Ruby's affection or the compassion from Taiyang and occasionally Yang. It was the little things, like being included in family games and even just curling up on the sofa watching something with everyone else.

Was that what a 'home' was?

* * *

It was the end of the second day, just after nine.

Qrow cracked his neck. Save for his time at Signal, he had spent the rest of the time at home. Tai had had to oversee one of the other students in their outing, so it was only him and Yang here for a few days and he didn't want to leave Yang on her own. He couldn't remember the last time it was just them.

At the moment, Yang was around a friend's house. He should get a message before midnight on whether she was coming back that night or staying. Qrow was going to guess staying. Yang really didn't like how quiet the house was and neither did he. He knew Tai would struggle coping when Ruby went to Beacon in two years.

Speaking of Ruby, she called his scroll then. That surprised him greatly.

"Hey kiddo. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. How's things at home?"

"Well, Yang and the pair have managed not to kill each other yet, so quite well." It did help they weren't even on the same island.

"Is Mercury back yet? Emerald said he went out and I don't really want to call her again so soon."

"Not yet, but I'm not expecting him back for a while. Why not call him?"

"He's not answering."

That was a problem. "Ah. I'll give it a go. He's probably forgot to switch it on after he charged it today." He probably wasn't used to carrying a scroll.

"Would you mind checking? I mean it's probably nothing but…"

"But?"

"Somehow I think he's in trouble."

Did Ruby think that because he wasn't answering or was it something else? "He's probably fine Ruby. He can handle himself if he manages to run into trouble. He'll be back soon."

"Okay. I was worried Emerald knew something was wrong and wasn't telling me."

That could be true as well. "Don't worry about it. Take care of yourself okay?"

"Can I just say that finding firewood for a smokeless fire is a nightmare?"

"You can."

Ruby giggled. "Bye Uncle Qrow."

"See you soon Ruby."

It could be nothing, but for Ruby to call specifically for that, something could be wrong. If anyone could find a fight in the middle of nowhere, he would guess it would be Mercury. A few seconds later, Qrow had the same results: Mercury wasn't answering. Naturally he tried Emerald next. He got an answer there.

"Hello?"

"Quick question Emerald: is Mercury with you right now?"

Emerald sighed. "Ruby rang you too, huh? No, he's not. He went to town about two hours ago and hasn't come back yet. It only took him about half an hour yesterday."

"Ruby seems to think he's in trouble. Any part of you that agrees?"

"A part."

"Go look for him Emerald. Ruby will be fine for half an hour. Call me back when you're done."

"…Thanks."

 _Thanks? She must be more worried than she's saying._

For good reason, as it turned out. Over an hour later, Emerald called back.

"I can't find him."

Glade Town was not big enough for a wander. There was a single main road, a local shop along with a few small businesses and the rest were houses. There was nothing there that should be keeping him.

So where was he?

Qrow wasn't going to lie to himself. He was worried for the kid. Mercury could handle himself in a fight and would probably win any fight he started. However, the only ones that might be searching for him were willing to attack someone that had the force of nature. Someone who knew he wasn't just another teenager. As harsh as it was, Qrow hoped that Mercury had just been forgetful and ignorant, even if it didn't match him when it came to his friends.

The girls that were bonded to him seemed to think there was something very wrong.

"Emerald, stay with Ruby. I'll look for him."

"Do I tell her?"

Good question. "Let me look for him first."

Ruby, Emerald and Mercury had walked to their destination. Qrow chose to take a taxi. Normally he wouldn't, but _Ruby_ thought he was in trouble and she couldn't have known he had even left the house. Everything Qrow knew about the Animin bond he had told to Tai, but that was what happened over the first few days. He hadn't even known they could tell direction.

It wasn't a surprise that they may be able to sense when another is in trouble.

 _Whatever mess you've got yourself into Mercury, you had better survive it. No one in this house wants you to die._


	6. Past Repercussions

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

It took Qrow very little time to confirm the girls' suspicions: Mercury was nowhere to be found. His scroll had been found lying in a bush next to the sidewalk of one of the houses, still working. Mercury himself hadn't left a message on it or any indication he was trying to contact someone. It didn't make sense he would throw it in a bush though. Another look found a small, torn cloth that was gold; not a colour Mercury wore. With light from his scroll, he picked up tyre tracks nearby, large enough to be a truck or a van.

A kidnapping.

If it was Ruby or Yang, he would probably get the police involved. Mercury and Emerald were another matter. If they had been targeted because of Cinder Fall, getting them involved wouldn't help. If that was true, then how had she known where he would be to take him? If the kidnapping was random, why was Mercury taken and not a local? Finding out where Mercury lived wasn't going to be easy to a stranger, if it was even possible. Mercury was reluctant to answer questions for them, never mind a stranger.

Qrow first called Yang and told her he wasn't going to be at home that night, but he didn't tell her why. He wanted to tell her in person, preferably with Mercury. Yang hadn't been bothered as Qrow often spent odd times out of the house. If he didn't find him by the time Yang got back from school the next day, he would tell her then.

His next call was to Emerald.

"Did you find him?"

"No. Where are you?"

"Umm, very close to a river. Ruby's still awake, but she's set up camp."

"Go join her. I'll find you there." It wasn't unheard of that the three day trip was interrupted and done later for several reasons. The main reason was family emergency and all of them considered Mercury family.

The girls weren't difficult to find. There were two rivers in Ruby's area and only one that was around a half an hour walk of Glade Town. He got there at a sprint within ten minutes. Ruby was resting her head on her knees near the fire, but Emerald was on her feet next to her.

"Anything?"

"Not much. He probably went for a look around and for some reason got taken."

"No one could have known we were here though."

That was the main problem with a pre-planned motive. "No, they couldn't. Where is he?"

Both girls pointed to their left. There was no chance Mercury was in Glade Town. The problem was that he could be in Mistral for all they knew, depending on how fast the car was going. They might not have much time.

"He's alive?"

"Definitely," Ruby stated. Her sterling eyes were harder than he'd ever seen. "He's definitely still alive."

 _Good._

"Then come on." He had a friend nearby he could borrow a car from. Using their compass wasn't very accurate, but it was reliable and they didn't have many options to find him. Mercury had been missing for over four hours. He could be anywhere.

Mercury was still alive. Depending on who took him and why, that might change very soon.

Qrow wasn't going to deny it: he would miss the kid if that happened.

* * *

There had been far too many hiccups in the past few months for Cinder's liking.

Since the failed attack on the Maiden, Cinder had played the game carefully. There were plenty of candidates that she could manipulate into pawns, but there were very few useful ones. She had made some progress, much too slowly.

However, the death of two throwaway grunts on a simple scouting mission had her doubting their abilities. As they had been fortunate enough to hit the culprit with a special tranquilizer before the fight, he had gone down before the final scout was compromised. They had cleaned up the scene and requested new instructions.

Cinder had ordered the culprit to be brought to a current safe location they were using. She needed to know how much that individual knew about her current operation. She was also curious: those scouts were fairly capable in a fight. For them to be bested, especially so quickly, was intriguing.

Once she saw the culprit, Cinder was pleasantly surprised.

Mercury Black had certainly proved himself to be magnificent even before this incident. There was no chance her final scout would have survived had Mercury got around to him. It also explained how he lived. As Mercury had less blood in his body than the average person, the tranquilizer took effect quicker.

Interestingly, he woke up about the same time as an average person.

Mercury tugged a bit at the ropes binding him to the chair, but he didn't seem to put much effort into the act. He appeared to be testing their strength, rather than trying to escape. With an aura-suppressing collar around his neck, there was no chance of him breaking free.

"Never thought I'd see you again."

"Indeed." Cinder turned to the man standing a little behind him. "Leave us."

The final scout swallowed. "Err, ma'am-"

"Leave."

"Yes ma'am."

Mercury was smirking as the man left. "Small time pick-pocket, huh?"

"Indeed, but he has some use. He certainly does not have Emerald's skill. Would you happen to know what happened to her?"

He shrugged. "Last I knew, she was stabbed by the Maiden. I haven't seen her since." He didn't seem to care one way or the other. Cinder did remember the two disliked one another.

"A pity." It was. With time, it was possible to find a replacement for Mercury, but not for Emerald. She had been a very fortunate find.

"I'd say. That guy was an amateur. That wallet is worth ten times as much as his ring. What's his use?"

Cinder smiled at him. "There is no need for you to know that. Do you know why you are here?"

"Because your new friends don't know that an unmarked van hanging around a house for two days in a little village is very suspicious?"

Mercury did have a point and she would be telling them the importance of subtlety later. "You killed my men, Mercury."

"And you were curious. They attacked me first; what did you expect?"

The problem with using people who were from the area was that they were not necessarily used to handling stressful situations well. "I would expect you to win. You are certainly talented Mercury. That's the main reason why I liked you."

"But not the only one?"

Cinder chuckled. She gently ran a finger along his jaw. He immediately jerked his head away, but that playfulness was still there in his smirk. "Not the only one." She sighed. "This does leave me with a problem."

"Oh?"

"Why were you there?"

"I had heard that town had an almost unbelievable crime rate. Perfect place to hide out for a little while. Wondered about the van and went to take a look."

So he didn't know why her scouts were there. "Understandable. I'm curious Mercury. What have you been up to these past two months?"

He shrugged again. "Not much. Wandering mostly. Found out that stealing is not as easy as Emerald made it look, but I got by. Never stayed in one place for too long."

"No new clients?" This was promising.

"I didn't go looking."

"Really? Are you regretting what you did, Mercury?"

"Depends on my mood. When my broken bones were acting up, yes."

"Yet not for the rest of the time?" Mercury just smiled at her. "So I don't need to worry about you having told anyone else?"

"And get myself killed? No thanks. Besides, it's bad for business to give away any client's secrets."

"Good." It was a very small possibility, but it was a possibility. Cinder didn't like loose ends, but this was one she could tie up again rather than eliminate it. However, there was also the possibility he was lying. An attack on a Maiden would not go ignored.

"Can I get untied now? I don't like my new collar." Mercury seemed very relaxed. The fact that he was still alive and still in very good condition though, concerned her a little. Even Emerald had seemed malnourished when she met her and she was a master. While Mercury probably wasn't an amateur, it almost seemed too good.

Mercury didn't appear to be afraid of her. Then again, he hadn't been afraid of anything. That was another reason she had liked him.

"Not just yet. You are a very good liar Mercury. How am I to know you're telling me the truth?"

If Mercury had told anyone, then the game had changed drastically. She had to be certain he wasn't compromised.

"I don't know. Know someone with a truth Semblance?" She gave him another amused smile. "Hey, you found an illusionist. So how long am I going to be stuck here then?"

"A few days at least." Again her fingers touched his cheek, but this time her hand followed him when he tried to move away. "Then we'll talk again."

"…Can't wait."

* * *

The problem with a car was that it wasn't very compatible with a compass. The trip probably took three times as long. The city was Coldhedge.

Emerald was worried. More than that though, she was angry. She was a bit angry at Mercury for not coming back straight away, but she barely noticed that. She was _furious_ at those who took him. Mercury was her friend, her family, and _no one_ was going to hurt him again.

No one.

There was no way for anyone to know they were around Glade Town. Taiyang and Yang wouldn't tattle and Ruby was unimaginable. Qrow wouldn't risk something happening to his niece, if he still wanted them behind bars or dead. She was fairly certain he cared, at least a little. He had checked up on them when Ruby called him.

If no one knew they were in Glade Town, then why was Mercury gone? Maybe he saw something he shouldn't have, but then why take him alive? Why not just…kill him?

There was no doubt in her mind. Mercury was still alive. She wasn't going to find his corpse.

"I don't get it," Ruby said aloud, mostly to herself. Qrow was driving, but both girls were in the back. Her voice became a mumble. "I don't get it."

Emerald took her hand and Ruby ran her thumb over the top of hers.

When Emerald had asked Yang why Ruby had a different surname, Yang had told both her and Mercury about Summer Rose. A fantastic mother who went out on a mission and never came home. The way she spoke about her, Yang adored her. She had also asked them to be careful when talking to Ruby about her.

Was Ruby afraid she was about to lose someone else?

Emerald wasn't going to let that happen. She wasn't going to let Mercury die.

She had woken up that morning with his arms around her, protecting her. He had been asleep, looking so peaceful. She hadn't moved; hadn't wanted to disturb him. She had waited for him to wake on his own. When he did fairly late in the morning, he had studied her face for a few moments looking confused before he smiled. Not smirked, but smiled.

The car stopped.

Qrow had done a circle of block and Mercury was somewhere inside. She was not going to let her life be destroyed again. She and Mercury didn't deserve that. They had a family and she wasn't willing to let anyone take it away.

Emerald hopped out, Ruby climbing out behind her with their hands still joined.

Saying nothing, the girls moved together with Qrow behind.

The last time Emerald was in Coldhedge was when Mercury had brought her here to save her life. She had met Ruby here. They even passed the house they had 'borrowed'. This had been the start of her new life.

Safety, stability.

Love.

Mercury's birthday was in a week. She and Ruby had intended to go out when Ruby had returned after her trip to buy him a present while Yang kept him busy. Emerald had wanted to spend time with him to make sure he didn't feel like an outsider, so she hadn't been shopping before. She had gotten less worried about leaving him alone as time passed.

Then this had to happen.

Soon everyone, including Mercury, would be safe in Patch.

Emerald's eyes flickered around. She wasn't sure what to get him. She had thought about it for a few weeks, but she still didn't know. Ruby knew presents better, Emerald knew Mercury better. He wasn't particularly interested in trinkets, books or games. He wasn't bothered by his birthday, but they were still going to get him something. They were leaning towards jewellery, but something that wouldn't restrict or bother him in a fight, if he was willing to wear it. He wouldn't wear something he didn't like.

'Window shopping' was what Ruby called it. Last time Emerald had been in a jewellery shop, Cinder had caught her stealing. She didn't regret that; she wouldn't have this life if she didn't. She had pawned the ring in a different city as she normally did when she stole jewellery, but she didn't have that money on her when they attacked the Maiden. She had no idea what happened to it.

Taiyang had given them pocket money each fortnight. Mercury had questioned it after the third time so he said it was for Grimm slaying, despite they had been given some of it before they started that. When questioned about that, Taiyang had shrugged and said that was a minor detail.

The girls stopped and looked at one another. They were standing in the middle of a park.

Mercury was right beneath them.

* * *

Yang had been surprised and confused to find Ruby at home when she came back from Signal the next day. She wasn't expecting her until late in the evening.

She had been horrified to find out why.

Mercury wasn't her favourite person in the house, but she didn't hate him. They had had more downs than ups, but they had come to an understanding. Bickering was fine (normal) but physical fights could not break through their aura. Ruby was in charge and she came first. Their fights had actually become fun, even if she had yet to win a match.

Now someone had kidnapped him.

She didn't like Mercury as much as Emerald, but he was still family and no one hurt her family.

The problem wasn't that they didn't know where he was. It was that they had no idea how to get to him. He was underneath Frost Park in Coldhedge, but they didn't know how to get there. The earth was undisturbed, so he very thankfully hadn't been buried.

Uncle Qrow thought there must be a room there. However, they had no idea how deep and trying to dig could end up killing him. He had been going over blueprints of nearby buildings and attempting to find a basement that could lead to her missing family member. He had been at it the whole day, with Yang joining him after dinner.

So far, they had gotten nowhere.

Ruby and Emerald had retreated to the newbies bedroom after dinner. Both had taken it badly and it was obvious neither had got any rest the night before. When Yang had checked in on them two hours before, the pair were sharing a bed in a fitful sleep. She had left them to it, letting Zwei into the room to watch over them.

Yang rubbed her eyes. "How do we still have such bad documents these days?"

"Some companies like cutting corners if it cuts the bill." Uncle Qrow placed another rejection on the pile and pulled out another. He had given Yang the 'easy' ones: blueprints and documents that were written in easy to decipher legalese. He was going through ones that Yang was certain was some sort of code.

When Yang had asked why the police weren't involved, Uncle Qrow had said if it was Mercury's old employer, that act would get him killed. Yang had not asked about Mercury's previous employer before, but she was told the woman was one in a million in a good and bad way. A bad way in that she was one of the most dangerous people to currently walk Remnant. Good in that there were very few people like that.

This building didn't appear to have a basement either. To the rejection pile.

The idea was to find buildings that had a basement and then return to Coldhedge to check them all out. It might lead nowhere, but Yang refused to think on that. If this didn't work, they would find something else.

Zwei was barking.

Yang frowned and Uncle Qrow looked to the bedroom. Zwei appeared in the hallway, looked at them and barked. His head turned from them to the bedroom to them again.

 _Oh no._

Both arrived at the door within two seconds.

Ruby was awake. Emerald wasn't. She was thrashing in Ruby's arms. She calmed in seconds, but was still trembling. Her breathing was too fast.

"That's one hell of a nightmare," Yang muttered as she slowly walked to the bed.

Emerald's eyes snapped open. There was a green glow around her red eyes.

"That's not a nightmare," Uncle Qrow muttered as he also moved forward. "Emerald, you need to relax. It's not trying to hurt you."

 _What?_

"It…burns…"

Ruby held her closer as Yang also wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"Give it a minute."

"Uncle Qrow?"

The glow began to fade until there was no sign. At the same time, Emerald's breathing slowed and deepened. She still trembled, curling into Ruby's embrace. Zwei jumped on the bed and gave her a lick on the cheek. Emerald didn't seem to notice.

Uncle Qrow sat on the opposite bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts…It…Something's wrong. It…It's not complete. There's a big part missing."

He sighed. "Yeah, I bet there is."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, not relaxing her grip.

"Did you know, Emerald?"

"No. She only told us about the one. I swear."

At the point, Ruby's eyes widened a bit. She seemed to know what was going on. Yang had the horrible feeling that she had been left out of the loop once again. While she should be angry, given what she had learned last time this happened, they had been silent for a good reason.

"What's going on?" Yang wanted answers. Whatever happened to Emerald, she needed to know how to help.

"Yang…" Ruby bit her lip. "Do you remember when Dad read us the story of the Four Maidens?"

That sounded random. "Yes…?"

"The Four Maidens exist," Uncle Qrow claimed. Yang stared at him blankly. "No idea if the story is true, but the Maidens exist, one for each season. Green eye glow is the Spring Maiden. The power is inherited by another girl when the Maiden dies."

"Emerald's a Maiden now," Ruby muttered.

"Back up, back up." Yang shook her head. "Maidens. The women that could control nature?"

Uncle Qrow tipped his head a bit. "Sort of. The power varies between the four Maidens, depending on the season they represent. Yang, the reason why I followed these two that day was because they attacked a Maiden. That was who the three of them targeted. That's why it was such a big deal. To most people, it's just a story. Very few know it's not."

Okay. Some stories did have some truth in it, but that one was ridiculous. It did explain why the police hadn't been brought in to deal with them two months ago. "Okay. Maidens exist and they have a lot of power most people don't?" Uncle Qrow nodded. "So how did Emerald get it? How is it inherited?"

"Through stupid, complex and convoluted rules. The person who the Maiden thinks of last gets it…provided they're female and tend to be young, normally a teenager. If unsuitable, it's random which you can imagine makes finding the next one a hassle."

"So Emerald was either the last person the Maiden thought of before dying or it was completely random? Why is there some missing then?"

"Because she took it." Emerald didn't lift her head.

"What?"

"The reason the Maidens are secret is because they kept getting attacked. If they succeed, normally the last person they think of is their attacker. Not someone that should be a Maiden." Uncle Qrow knew a lot about this. "Their old employer has a way of stealing that power. They failed to defeat the last Maiden, but it would seem she managed to hit a different one."

Yang took a deep breath. She could see why they hadn't told her this part. She wouldn't even know they attacked anyone if she hadn't lost her temper with Mercury a few weeks ago. "So why doesn't this employer have all of it?"

No one answered. No one had an answer.

This was going to become another secret in the family. Like the others though, Yang thought it was for the best; for their protection. She studied the girl wrapped in Ruby's arms and she didn't feel anger. She felt pity. Only three months ago, Emerald had lived a simple life as a street kid. No one to look after her. Recent times, _after_ she had been taken in, had been quite rough on her.

Yang nodded. "I'll be right back."

There had been no movement when Yang re-entered a few minutes later. She offered the steaming mug of hot chocolate to Emerald. Emerald tried to smile at her, but it was weak. She took the mug and Ruby gave her room to straighten up enough to sip at it.

Mercury and Dad should be here. Dad was coming home the next day, but they didn't know when Mercury was coming home.

* * *

Cinder's plan did not hit the same hiccup it had two months ago. The Spring Maiden did not have the same range or variability the Fall Maiden did. If she had known that, she would not have targeted the Fall Maiden back then. It was easy to take power if the victim was not fighting back.

There was still a problem. She estimated she had about 70% of the Maiden power. The question was where the rest went. One of her accomplices had attempted to speed up the process by killing the girl, despite the draining going well. However, the remaining power had not gone to Cinder. It had gone elsewhere.

This was the difficulty in working with others.

All her accomplices to the murder were now dead. There was no way to trust those who were loyal to their pocket money alone.

Cinder sighed when she entered the windowless room where she was holding her 'guest'. It would appear someone else had disobeyed her orders.

Mercury had been drugged again earlier in the day. He wasn't wearing a wire and there was no sign of a tracker. With those results, Cinder was now quite sure he hadn't made a deal with someone, but she was going to wait for a few more days. So far, there was no sign that anyone was looking for him. She had left with instructions to alert her when he woke up. She had gotten a message that he woke up at the same time as an average person, something he shouldn't have done with his blood level.

It would appear that someone else had visited him. He had been stripped to the waist and there were quite a few recent deep bruises and marks on his chest. She did not approve of that. She had ordered that, save for her explicit instructions, he was to be left alone.

The disobedience would be punished. For now, Mercury could go without food for a quite a while. However, humans grew weak without water and she had no interest in nursing him back to health due to neglect.

Mercury merely raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth when Cinder brought him the glass of water. He wasn't stupid enough to think she was going to untie him.

"So, what are you back for?"

Cinder placed the empty glass on a table nearby. "It would appear that after a day, no one is looking for you."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Obviously. So, what was the drug for?"

"It was easier on everyone. You had to be checked for technology you shouldn't have."

"Not that drug. The sense enhancer."

Cinder closed her eyes in annoyance. She had better get a good reason for them taking and using one of those samples. "It is a useful torture tool."

"Agreed. But it usually helps when you ask the questions you want the answers to."

For someone who had been a victim to that particular drug, he didn't seem very bothered after it wore off. Perhaps it did not work on him very well. "That was not my order. Who did it and what did they ask?"

"That pathetic pick-pocket and two of his friends. They didn't ask anything and their taste in music sucks."

If his motive was revenge for Mercury killing his friends, Cinder was going to kill him herself. They weren't ideal for this business; they were too emotional. That was not a trait of the killers she required.

"That will be handled."

Mercury chuckled. "Don't let me keep you."

He was given a sultry smile. "What's wrong Mercury? Do you want me to leave already? I would have thought you were bored."

"Yeah, but now I have to entertain a conversation. I kind of want to get back to daydreaming."

"Is that so?" The other chair in the room had been left in front of him. She chose to rest opposite him and crossed one leg over the other. "Should we have that talk now, then?"

"What is there to talk about?" Mercury was acting annoyingly dense. It was clear he knew what she meant.

"I have no intention of allowing your talent to go to waste Mercury."

"I'm certainly an improvement from the people I've seen working for you." A fair assessment, but he had not seen everyone before making that statement.

"Which fortunately are all expendable grunts. You were never that. You were more important. You still are."

Mercury raised an eyebrow at that. "I haven't agreed to anything. Maybe I fancy a lot of different clients rather than dedicating all of my time to one."

"You agreed when your house was burning and your father lay dead on ground," Cinder reminded him. She wasn't angry; it wasn't surprising that he was considering other options after a failed attack.

"It could be argued that that contract ended when the Maiden won."

"Perhaps," she conceded. He did make a good point. "However, after the plan is complete, you would have many more clients that are worthy of your time."

Mercury was quiet for a few minutes. When he spoke, his tone was flatter than she had ever heard.

"The problem I'm having is that you promised Emerald quite a bit and look what happened to her. I can't imagine anyone more loyal than she was to you. _You_ didn't deliver."

Cinder didn't appreciate her failures getting thrown around like that. Her hands ran down his legs. He tensed up immediately, but that wasn't a fearful reaction. Her hands felt a joint in the metal and she heated her hands up. The fabric skipped the fire and burnt immediately. He hissed loudly as the metal underneath steamed and she effortlessly twisted and snapped them. Useless.

She leant back in her chair. She lifted her hand and allowed the flame to shrink then grow. "That mistake has been rectified."

Again, Mercury was completely silent. The fire reflected beautifully in his smoky grey eyes.

* * *

The thing about these three day trips is that, when a teenager suddenly has 'unchecked' freedom, they can do very stupid things. This one in particular had completely ignored the idea of camping and decided to stay in a hotel. Not too bad on its own, but then his girlfriend showed up. Within hours, it was clear he had no interest in this three day survival in the wilds.

The rules stated Tai had to wait until the three days were up before he could actually fail the kid. So, annoyingly, he did just that. He wasn't sure why the kid was so surprised; it was common sense to think they wouldn't leave them completely unsupervised in case something went wrong.

In any event, he was glad to see his house again. It had been a long four days.

Taiyang knew something was wrong the minute he stepped through the door.

Ruby was home. That wasn't the problem; she would have come in a day before him. The problem was that she was curled up with Yang and Emerald on the couch. Their eyes were down and a little red.

 _They had been crying._

Yang spotted him first. She detached herself from the other two, snapping them out of their silent trance, approached him quickly and hugged him. This wasn't the compulsory hug he got when she had been ordered to bed. This was an 'I _need_ a hug' hug.

"Hey Yang. What's wrong?"

Yang didn't say anything. She just didn't let go. He easily picked her up, gently lay her back on the couch and pulled the other two in as well. They cuddled closer, shaking slightly.

Tai subtly glanced around. Qrow was in the kitchen, messing with his scroll with a lot of papers in front of him that did not look like school papers. The tension in his body didn't bode well. There was no sign of Mercury.

It took ten minutes for the girls to drop off. Tai wouldn't call it sleep. They were just drained. He decided to leave them be on the couch, merely throwing a blanket over them. He wanted to stomp over to Qrow, to show he was annoyed and worried. Something had happened and he hadn't been told. Instead, he stayed quiet so as not to wake them.

Qrow sent a message on his scroll before dropping it on the table. "Hey Tai."

Qrow sounded absolutely exhausted. In fact, now Tai had a better look at him… "When was the last time you slept Qrow?"

"Three, four days ago?"

Tai took the seat next to him, keeping the girls in his sight. He put a hand on his shoulder. [What's going on Qrow?]

[…It's Mercury. He went to Glade Town and never came back. He's under Frost Park in Coldhedge and we can't find a way to get to him. I've tried everyone. No one knows.]

Tai let out a breath. For a moment, he thought Mercury had been-

 _Okay, it's obviously bad. There's still hope to get him back._

[And you need to make a choice Tai.] Qrow's alert eyes met his. [I can't put Emerald in prison anymore if this doesn't work out.]

[I told you Qrow. They're staying as long as they want to.]

Qrow flinched. [Remember I said that they attacked someone who was important?] Taiyang did not like where this was going. [There are four women on Remnant that have real magic, Tai. Fire, wind, a lot of other stuff. They attacked one and that was why I was following them. Now Emerald has inherited part of that power.]

Taiyang didn't really care about how. [So they're going to attack her now?]

[She's a target because she knows too much, but she's not high priority. If they find out she's part Maiden, then yeah, they're going to be gunning for her.]

Emerald was being held by both Yang and Ruby. None of their sleep looked peaceful. Emerald knew better than anyone who would be trying to kill her. Someone she had seen as a _mother_. [Why only part? Is that how it's supposed to work?]

[No, but it started when Cinder tried to steal it and, for some reason, didn't get all of it. She's going to be looking for who has the rest.]

[Emerald. How do they find out?]

[No idea, but I don't think they will if she's careful.]

Tai nodded. It should be simple enough to keep hidden. [And why don't I already know that Mercury's missing?]

Qrow didn't respond. He knew Tai wasn't going to like any answer he gave. Taiyang was furious with him. But now wasn't the time. With a sad growl, he made him a cup of coffee, which he gratefully chugged down.

[Who took him?]

[I don't know. I was going to head to Glade Town to look into her death. The last Maiden's that Emerald's inherited. See if it was connected in some way.] Qrow's glance at the girls told Tai the reason he hadn't left already. [I just hope he wasn't part of it.]

 _He wasn't. I know he wasn't._

[Then go Qrow. I'll keep looking. How often have they been…?] What word could he possibly use?

[Ruby called me thinking he was in trouble almost immediately and she couldn't have known he left the house. They've been taking it pretty badly.]

Tai would get mad at Qrow when they found Mercury. For now, he gave him a pat on the back as he left. They also swapped scrolls; Qrow was waiting for news. He took off at a run down the path.

No one sent any messages that night.

* * *

A teenage girl had been killed in Glade Town.

Qrow headed there, hoping it was unconnected to Mercury's disappearance. He had needed to deal with well over twenty Grimm on his way. Once they were eliminated, he spoke to the police.

The expected time of death was between eight and eleven the night before. She had been killed metres away from the tyre tracks. Most likely, she was heading to her cousin's house and had been ambushed. She had been killed with a bullet to the side of her head, but the scars on her face couldn't be explained.

It looked like this had been the previous Spring Maiden.

It was an interesting coincidence that she had been found near the tracks. As it happened, a few neighbours did remember seeing a white van out on the street late the night before, but not that morning. A van that was probably there for a few days, meaning they could have been waiting for an ambush.

Most likely, Mercury was taken because he saw something he shouldn't have.

 _Or he decided to re-join them._

Qrow shook that thought out furiously. Mercury wasn't involved. Qrow was sure of that.

The original Maiden lived in Vacuo. She had been visiting her cousin in Glade Town and had been killed before she could get there. Still, there was no sign of a struggle. That didn't make any sense at all. The girl had been attending Shade; she should have automatically defended herself.

Two attacks on different Maidens within a few months of each other. Qrow was very certain Cinder was responsible for this. She had found an illusionist in Emerald; she could have found someone else with a very powerful Semblance. Some were very easy to abuse, especially if the person was immoral themselves.

A teenage girl out in the middle of the night. She hadn't been to any clubs that night, but maybe she had just been running late if she left Vacuo in the afternoon rather than in the morning. Maybe she had thought she was immune to attack.

A common mistake in the young.

Qrow had not known who the Spring Maiden was and as such, there was no one around to protect her. He also had not known she was visiting her cousin.

So how did they find out?

It was possible Cinder would attack Amber again. She now had much more power than she did before. Unlike this girl though, Amber was always on the lookout for an attack. She had much more experience. She also knew Cinder's face.

Emerald was also a target and would be a more appealing one. Her Maiden power was weak. While Emerald could fight, she was more used to distract and run away. Her Semblance could be used in battle (and Qrow suspected Mercury was working with her on that), but it was originally designed for escape. It also had limits: she could only manage one mind, two at a push. Cinder knew that and would attack with numbers. She did have the benefit that Cinder probably didn't know she was part Maiden, but she could be targeted for being a loose end.

On one hand, these kids have brought an insane amount of problems with them. On the other, these problems were a danger to Remnant and Emerald would do anything to protect her family. From what he could tell of Mercury, he was the same.

Qrow was proud of how far they had come in two months.

* * *

Five days after Mercury's capture, there was yet another problem caused by disobedience. It had gone beyond annoying and was now becoming threatening to the entire game plan.

Cinder's fingers left his neck. Five seconds and no pulse.

"Ma'am, I can explain-"

"What is there to explain? You disobeyed my orders twice. I had plans for him."

"But he said he wouldn't-"

"I am aware of his opinion." Her plans for him did not require his consent.

"It was an accident-"

"An…accident?" Cinder's amber eyes appeared molten lava as her eyes glowed green. "This was no accident. It is not possible this was an accident."

"But she-"

"Silence." He finally shut up. "There was no way she could have known he was here unless you told her. You know enough about her to know this would happen. You even contributed." He wisely remained silent. Cinder waved to the body. "Clean him up, dress him and dump him outside the Kingdom. Return here immediately afterwards."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Five days. Five days and no news.

In that time period, there had been three buildings that looked promising. However, when Qrow went to investigate, they were dead ends. He had also searched a few others, but he had gotten nowhere.

No one had given up.

Both Ruby and Emerald were adamant Mercury was still alive. However, around three in the afternoon they had been even more restless. They had said he was dying.

It was now around nine.

Qrow thought hard. The van they thought had taken Mercury was back by the same evening. That would suggest that the entrance to wherever he was, it must be somewhere around Coldhedge at worst. It couldn't be any farther away. It could be closer to Glade Town though or in the middle of nowhere. There weren't any antique buildings around the city so there are no obvious places to look. Even Ozpin didn't know there was anything beneath Frost Park.

Tai hadn't been happy to hear the truth about the Maidens and that Qrow had kept that part from him. He had been even unhappier when he found out about Mercury. Qrow could finally assure him that he didn't know any other secrets about those two.

Emerald slipped into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She had doing very badly since her best friend went missing. For someone who knew starvation so well, skipping meals was something of great concern.

The glass was half full when she pulled it away from the sink. She didn't look at him.

"Taiyang said yesterday that Ruby probably won't die if Mercury does. Was it a lie back then, to get him to stay?"

Qrow was a bit surprised they hadn't asked about it before. "It was true at the time. The bond has stabilised a bit since then. It may be true now, it may not. I don't know. We still have time."

"Not much." Emerald then stiffened. "But maybe enough."

"What?"

Ruby suddenly appeared in the kitchen, breathless. "Emerald, does it feel to you-"

"That's he's more north than he was before?"

"He's moving?" Qrow stood up.

"He must be."

They had rented a car for Qrow to get to Coldhedge from the harbour on mainland Vale. All five were quiet as they drove. First Tai took them to Frost Park and Ruby pointed the direction they needed to go. They left Coldhedge and followed the main road.

It was a dual carriageway when both girls looked back and ordered to stop.

Qrow barely noticed Tai's illegal manoeuver. There were no cars around anyway. Once the car stopped, the kids shot out. He caught up with them quickly.

They headed down the indent in the grass. They slipped around the bushes and traced their route back for less than a few minutes and stopped. They collapsed to their knees.

Mercury. He lay there eyes closed, half covered by a thorn bush.

Yang pushed the bramble back so they could carefully move him more into the open. He was even paler than normal, his left cheek looked burnt, his right had an odd cut and there was a horrible black line around his neck. There was probably more damage under his clothes. He didn't look like he was breathing.

"Is he…?" Yang couldn't finish.

"He's still alive," Ruby stated. Emerald's hand rested on the burnt skin.

Qrow wasn't so sure. He knelt down and pressed two fingers against Mercury's neck. "There's nothing Ruby."

"Look harder!"

He put on a little more pressure. Ruby sounded certain, almost angry he would dare suggest otherwise. The first glance made him think Mercury was gone. He couldn't feel a pulse no matter how much they might want him-

 _What?_

Qrow blinked and waited. A full minute later, he felt it again.

"Tai, call an ambulance!"

Mercury's heart was still beating. Very barely, maybe once a minute, but it still was. It wouldn't be for long.

He relaxed a bit, but maintained contact. There may be a way to help him before the ambulance arrived, but it was risky. If he did nothing, there was a chance it would arrive too late. He pushed his aura to Mercury, but he was met with resistance. He stopped and fell back onto his heels.

"Emerald, what do you know about aura transfer?"

"Nothing." She didn't look at him. "Why? What is it?"

"It's what it sounds like. It's possible to transfer aura from person to person. The tricky part is that it's personal. It only works with people they trust completely. The aura will be rejected otherwise and it could cause harm if it's forced."

He didn't need to add that Mercury would automatically use it to try to save himself. While aura didn't immediately heal someone except when first unlocked, it could be used to counter the damage. For example, if an artery was hit and someone was given aura, they could instinctively redirect the blood flow so there was less internal bleeding. A human's survival instinct was very strong when pushed.

"So he'll take aura from us?"

"He should."

Ruby nodded, her hand resting on Mercury's arm. "So how do we do it?"

"Close your eyes. You need to feel your own aura first."

The girls did as he instructed. After a few moments, their aura was visible around them. Red and green. This did lower their aura level, but it also meant they were manually controlling it rather than subconsciously using it as a shield or Semblance.

"Keep that focus. Move that energy into your hands. Gently push that aura towards him. If you feel resistance, stop." Qrow had no doubt Mercury would accept it. He adored those girls.

Aura transfer could be dangerous, especially in people who weren't completely in tune with it. That could take years and so it wasn't even mentioned in their education until Beacon's final year. It was very easy for something to go wrong and have disastrous results. Some people could transfer their aura with few problems, others couldn't.

Aura reading was different. Anyone could do it if they knew how and it was allowed by the person they were trying to read. All it took was knowledge, focus and permission. It was a method of communication through physical touch, though it took practice to decipher the pictures and emotions into words. In this method of communication, it was impossible to lie.

Mercury rejected Qrow's aura. He didn't trust him completely. Mercury did trust him enough to instinctively allow him to read him. Mercury wasn't conscious so they couldn't talk to one another, but Qrow could monitor whether or not there was a problem with the transfer. The moment that the aura left the girls, it converted to Mercury's aura and so could be read.

Fortunately, there wasn't a problem. While both girls had had nearly full aura, much of that is lost over transfer. At first, it was an inefficient process. Of the around 190 they gave, Mercury probably only got about 60. It made a small difference. Mercury's heart rate did speed up a little from a beat every minute to a beat every half a minute.

 _That's it kid. Fight._

Ruby shook her head as she let out a deep breath, using an arm to steady herself. To go from almost full aura to empty was very disorientating. Emerald was the same, but when her eyes began to glow, Qrow remembered what Ozpin had told him was unique to the Spring Maiden.

Healing.

"Emerald." Maiden power wasn't connected to aura but they had to be cautious with it. Emerald could kill herself if she wasn't careful.

Startled, she looked at him. She bit her lip as her gaze returned to Mercury. "I already tried when my aura was full. It didn't work."

Maybe about 30% wasn't enough to use it. Or if it had, it hadn't done much and only focused on the worst or internal injuries. Emerald's inexperience didn't help.

As Qrow half expected, Mercury didn't accept aura from Yang or Tai. They seemed disappointed, but not very surprised. Complete trust could take years to earn and Mercury was a very mistrustful person. Two months just wasn't enough time.

 _Come on Silvertongue. Use that fighting spirit._

Mercury was still breathing when the ambulance turned up.

* * *

 **AN: I would like to say thanks to everyone for reading and especially to EndlessChains for telling me what they enjoy. It's always reassuring to know I'm doing something right. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well.**


	7. Family Recovery

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

"He's very lucky he was found when he was."

The closest hospital had been Brisk Hill. Neither Qrow nor Tai saw the point in attempting to send the kids home, so all the family waited until they could see him. After three hours, they were let into his room. Qrow and the doctor had stepped outside.

"When will he wake up?"

"Normally I'd say just over a week. In the past few hours, his aura had regenerated much quicker than anyone else I have seen and is focused solely on his injuries. He may be awake in a few days."

Fast regeneration? That was very rare. It was even rarer to find someone whose aura could heal them and not just counter the injuries.

"How soon can he come home?"

Dr Rocksea sighed. "It's not that simple. It's not just those injuries that are the problem. Most of them are treatable even by an amateur."

"I agree, it's not simple. He needs to come home. It's not safe for him or your other patients."

"You think those responsible will come back for him?"

"Yes and these guys wouldn't be bothered by using everyone in this hospital as hostages." That was rather unlikely, but it was possible. The longer Mercury was here, the easier it was to track him down.

The doctor handed over some medical papers. Qrow winced when he saw the list of wounds. This was the worst case he had ever heard of, never mind seen. He recognised that the band around his neck had been from an aura-suppression collar, which is probably why he was so badly hurt without healing at all, but they should never be used for more than a few hours at a time. Had he been wearing it for days?

That did help explain what happened to the Spring Maiden.

"I have no idea what he's usually like, but he may become difficult to handle."

Qrow thought he had been difficult to handle before, but the doctor was right. Qrow wouldn't blame him. "Maybe. That doesn't change the danger he's in. It's not going to be difficult for them to find him."

"He can't leave yet. There are two…unique problems." Dr Rocksea took the papers back. He handed over a photo. "This is the first."

The subject of the photo was obvious. It wasn't the blood, burns or scabs that adorned the back. It wasn't even the underlying scars that must have been there for months and quite possibly years.

It was a symbol. On Mercury's upper back, between his shoulder blades, was a black mark a few centimetres across. A semi-circle with a mark underneath it. There were several lines connecting them to the shape above, some straight and others squiggly. No line overlapped. Underneath that was a phi symbol with a dot in both sides of the circle.

Somehow, despite it being obvious from the shape there should be marks there, the skin was unblemished for half a centimetre around the symbol.

"Is that a tattoo?" Obviously not, but he couldn't think of another reason for the colour.

"No, there's no ink there. It's different from a brand as well. I have no idea what caused it. Another oddity was that when touched with a latex glove on, nothing odd happened. When it was accidentally touched with skin, his nerves flared drastically. There is no record of any wound ever acting like that."

Qrow couldn't take his eyes off the photo. They drifted from the bizarre mark and began to focus on the scars beneath the wounds. None of them, not even Emerald, had ever seen what was under the shirt.

"What's the second thing?"

"Somehow, he has Dust in his bloodstream. When we tested it, it was something that is also not in the records. The Dust was black."

Black Dust? Qrow had never heard of it. Regardless, any Dust in the bloodstream was dangerous. The internal damage often led to death if untreated, with the colour of the Dust causing a difference in how long it took to die. Emerald had been very lucky she hadn't gotten any in her when she was stabbed.

"I'm guessing it's still there."

"Different Dust requires different treatment. With no records of a case like this before, there's no current cure. It is thought to be the cause of a very serious problem."

"And that would be?"

"He woke up during the treatment and panicked. He had to be restrained before we could finish."

 _Wrong thing to do._

Mercury woke up? In that condition? How the hell was he even able to fight? "I don't imagine tying him down helped." His voice was cold and angry.

"We had hoped for it to be temporary, a few minutes, until the anaesthetic kicked in. It never did. Most likely, he didn't respond to it in the ambulance either."

"You should have called one of us in." Mercury probably would have calmed if he knew what was going on.

The doctor sighed. "In hindsight, I agree with you. It honestly didn't occur to me at the time."

Qrow closed his eyes. There hadn't been any malice behind the doctor's actions. Normally no one but the doctors and the patient were allowed in the room. "So he's unconscious now because…?"

"A combination of stress, extreme exhaustion and the strain of his wounds. Touching that mark was the final push."

 _So touching that mark skin to skin causes him great agony, but not if there's any sort of barrier as thin as latex. That shouldn't be a big problem._

Qrow was now faced with a dilemma. That mark and the black Dust both suggested that Mercury wasn't going to be let go that easily. From where he was left, the closest hospital was Brisk Hill and would be found very quickly. However, those were things that they had no idea how to treat. Taking him home may kill him.

 _Why was he left there anyway?_

"This black Dust…What exactly is it doing? Which Dust is it acting like?" For example, red Dust tended to boil the blood while blue Dust froze it.

"That's the odd thing. It doesn't appear to be doing anything. It's just there."

Reassuring and worrying.

That symbol had to mean something. If they could find out, maybe they could understand why he had been 'given' it. It might even explain the black Dust.

Whichever way he looked at it, Mercury was too vulnerable here for Qrow's liking.

"The fact remains he can't stay here."

"My job is to do what is best for the patient. He needs to be in a hospital."

"If he stays in a hospital, he'll be found and probably killed, along with many of your other patients."

Dr Rocksea looked back into the ward. He wasn't a stupid man and had handled kidnapped victims before. Some had to be handled delicately, so as not to attract their kidnapper's attention. They didn't know who the kidnapper was, even if Qrow did have a good guess.

"I'll get you a medical scanner and show you how to use it. If something happens, he needs to see a doctor straight away. The blood is going to have to be taken manually for testing."

"What about his file?"

"Take it with you. It'll aid the next doctor's tests."

Qrow made a mental note to hide it somewhere none of the other houses members would find it.

* * *

As soon as Mercury was breathing properly on his own and his heart had increased to a somewhat normal rate, he was brought back to Patch. 36 hours after he was found, Mercury was safely tucked up in bed.

Emerald didn't really remember the trip to the hospital. She didn't remember the trip back home either. She just remembered sitting at the side of the bed, finally seeing her friend again. Badly hurt, but _alive_.

When Qrow said they were allowed to take him home, Emerald couldn't wait to leave. She hated hospitals and it wasn't just the smell. A hospital was for the sick and dying. Mercury shouldn't ever need to be there.

But he did.

Now though, he was resting in bed. No one was going to hurt him here.

Emerald caressed his cheek, careful not to disturb the butterfly bandage. To her surprise, Mercury turned his head into it. He hadn't woken up.

He wasn't expected to wake up for a few days.

Qrow was still in the house. Yang and Taiyang weren't. Yang had never liked doing nothing and so was trying to distract herself at school. Emerald was doubtful she was learning anything, but she understood the feeling. There was nothing to do but wait.

Mercury hated waiting.

Emerald was sitting on the edge of the bed. Ruby came into the room and sat in the chair nearby. Without a thought, she reached for her hand and without a thought Emerald took it. Ruby should be in school as well, but she had refused to go, at least until Mercury was awake. No one argued.

"Did he-?"

"He's still asleep."

"Oh." Her other hand took his, thumb tracing the knuckles. "The shop called me today. They said we can pick it up tomorrow."

"Right. Do you want me to go or…?"

"I'm quicker. I'll get it."

Emerald nodded slightly. Custom made items always took a while, but it was in time. The two had been worried about that. Ruby had warned her that it probably wouldn't be on time. It was a relief that it was.

Ironically, they had gotten the money for their present when Emerald pick-pocketed a piece of jewellery out of a thief's pocket and returned it to the store. They didn't get as much as the ring was worth, but the jeweller was happy to waive the excess money required for their order. Emerald had been surprised at that; he had lost quite a profit. Apparently, he also had a grudge against that particular thief and knew someone who would like the challenge of making it.

It was just as well; the two had stood no chance of paying for it otherwise.

When the rest of the family asked and were told the story, the reaction was mixed. Yang found the whole thing funny and said she wished she could have seen the thief's reaction when he found out. Taiyang had been proud of Emerald's actions. Qrow had been amused and said he hoped Mercury would like his gift, if not the story behind the money.

Emerald didn't know when her birthday was. She wasn't even sure how old she was; she just thought she was about seventeen. Taiyang had told her to pick a day and she had picked the day they moved into Patch. It had been a new start.

Again her fingers trailed through his hair. It was soothing, though he probably wouldn't like it when he woke up. Right now, he didn't seem bothered at all.

* * *

It happened two days after he had been brought home. On his birthday, Mercury woke up.

It was half five in the morning when Emerald's eyes opened. That wasn't unusual for the past week and a bit; she only got an hour or two's sleep. This time, she had managed three. As normal she didn't feel sleepy; just drained. With a sigh, she dragged herself out of her bed. There was no point even trying to count sheep.

Naturally, she headed to her roommate's bed.

Like before, Mercury nuzzled her palm. She ran her other hand through his hair once (so soft) before resting it on his shoulder. He was warm.

His eyelids flickered.

A click behind her told her that someone had opened the door while trying to be quiet. Emerald didn't turn around, knowing it was Ruby. Her finger traced his cheekbone and he seemed to let out a deeper breath.

A moment after Ruby slipped her fingers into his again, his fingers curled around them.

"Mercury?" It was a whisper. Emerald wasn't sure which one of them said it.

Mercury hummed. Very, very slowly, his eyes opened. He blinked a few times. He leant more into Emerald's hand and his fingers tightened around Ruby's.

"Gems…?"

Gems? That was the first time he had called them that. A shared smile with Ruby agreed they liked the name.

Emerald sat on the edge of the bed and carefully lifted him into a hug. His body tensed, but he still nuzzled her neck. He made no attempt to pull away. In fact, he tugged on Ruby's hand before letting go and wrapping his arm around Emerald. Ruby hopped onto the bed, careful to avoid the destroyed prosthetics and joined the hug. His other arm wrapped around her.

"What happened Merc?" Emerald wanted to make sure this never happened again.

Mercury took a deep breath, then sighed. He moved his head so he was looking past them. "Uncalled for Yang."

Emerald immediately looked at the door. She hadn't heard it open. Yang was standing there, doing something on her scroll.

"This is adorable Mercury."

Yang had taken a picture.

"Good to see you too." Despite his tone, Emerald thought he was telling the truth.

"Mind sending that to me?" That might become her new background image.

"Sure thing."

Mercury tutted. Then he chuckled.

Qrow appeared behind Yang. He was smiling as well. "Welcome back to the land of the living Silvertongue."

"I haven't grown bored of it…just yet."

He nodded, then turned more serious. "Is there anything we need to know now or can it wait?"

"It can wait Uncle Qrow." Ruby obviously didn't like the idea of him questioning Mercury now. She hadn't said anything when Emerald had asked though. Maybe it was because Mercury saw her and Qrow very differently.

Mercury frowned. He looked at Emerald. "Something happened to you…Maiden?"

Emerald was surprised. How had he known that? The bond? "Part. We already know that."

"Cinder…Then later."

So Cinder had had him. That didn't make any sense.

When they worked under Cinder, Emerald had been aware that she and Mercury had been treated differently. Emerald had been the favourite and their interactions were more personal. Mercury had had a client/employer relationship with her. Nothing personal at all and neither cared about the other.

Cinder didn't torture. She rewarded if a job was done well and killed those she didn't need. She didn't torture.

So why did this happen to Mercury?

Had Emerald misjudged her more than she thought?

 _I'm sorry Mercury._

She felt something shift against her. Mercury had shrugged, probably to get her attention, and was studying her. His grey eyes were more alert than they were before. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." It wasn't something he needed to worry about. She noticed then that at some point, Yang and Qrow had left.

"No…Something's wrong."

"Later," Emerald promised. Much later. Maybe in a week. He wasn't going to drop it, she knew that, but she wasn't going to tell him now.

Mercury didn't seem happy with that answer.

Ruby's hand moved across his chest. That grabbed his attention. "You need to rest Merc."

"Meh."

"You can barely keep your eyes open," Emerald pointed out. Ruby giggled at his attempted glare. The girls then lowered him back down. Ruby tried to move back, but Mercury's arm didn't budge.

"Nope...You're not getting away…that easily."

"The bed's not big enough for three." Ruby seemed happy to let Emerald share his bed. There was another one in the room after all.

"I disagree."

In reality, the bed wasn't really big enough for two. Still, Emerald was quite small and if Mercury pressed against the wall, she shouldn't fall out, especially with his grip on her. She had slept in small spaces before. The only way for Ruby to fit as well was for her to use Mercury himself as the mattress. Like Emerald had done back then.

"That's going to hurt, in case you didn't know."

"Not yet…I'll be asleep by then."

"That doesn't make sense."

He smiled. "Didn't you ever wonder Emerald? …My Semblance…"

Mercury's Semblance. Emerald _had_ wondered. She honestly didn't know. If he could use it now, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "Okay Merc. What is it?"

"Removes pain and ignores injuries…" He chuckled. "I could use a broken arm…as if there was nothing wrong with it…Wouldn't feel it either…until my aura runs out."

"That's…" Emerald sighed. She never could have imagined that. "That's one screwed up Semblance." It was designed for someone to continue fighting when they shouldn't be able to. It was stubbornness or stupidity taken to the extreme.

Ruby swallowed. "But doesn't your aura protect you?"

"It does…but when it shatters I get injured…and it regenerates so I can use it."

It might help with the pain, if he was telling the truth, but it didn't help with his exhaustion. Every Semblance had limits. It did explain why he hadn't been bothered by their hug. That reaction was normal for him (though he had been getting better); it hadn't been prompted by pain.

 _Hang on…_

"Is that how you saved me? After I was stabbed?"

"No…That wasn't my Semblance…I didn't need it then…"

She didn't remember him being too badly hurt, but then she was nursing a stab wound and feeling ill at the time. He wouldn't have told her about his injuries. Maybe he had been lucky.

"So how long will your aura last?" Ruby had shifted, but wasn't quite on top of him. Qrow had made them promise not to do an aura transfer again without him there. Emerald was willing to listen unless Mercury needed it.

"About twenty minutes…if I don't do anything." From the state of him, Emerald guessed he would be out in seconds.

Ruby could see that too. She glanced at Emerald, who smiled at her and made herself comfortable. Mercury wasn't letting go anytime soon. Following her example, Ruby lay down as well, trying not to do anymore damage. He smiled and closed his eyes.

All three were asleep within minutes.

* * *

Ruby emerged with a yawn at seven in the evening. For the first time in a while, she looked well rested and was happy. Tai and Yang were pleased to see her feeling better and began dinner, with her wanting to help.

Once everything had been thrown together, Qrow slipped out of the kitchen and headed for the slightly emptier room.

Mercury wasn't just awake, he was sitting up with Emerald at his side. He was currently being entertained with the story of Yang, Zwei and one slice of bacon left.

"Food's up Emerald," Qrow said once the chuckles faded.

"I'm not hungry."

"You last ate two days ago."

That stopped Mercury's laughter. His attention remained on her, with narrowed eyes. "Really?"

Emerald just glared at Qrow. "I'm not hungry."

"Let me rephrase that. Go get something to eat and make sure there's enough."

She opened her mouth to argue.

"Go on." Mercury obviously didn't like her missing meals either.

She sighed. "I'll bring you something back." Obviously she didn't want to argue with him.

"Thanks. No rush though." After giving him a hug, she left. Qrow closed the door behind her. Mercury's demeanour changed slightly; more guarded. "So, why'd you want Emerald out of the room?"

Qrow could have just brought the food in here. "Anything I need to know that you don't want the girls to know?" To save Mercury from telling the story twice and for emotional support, Qrow wanted at least Emerald in with him.

"Nothing jumps to mind. How'd you find me anyway?"

"First off, Ruby called me thinking there was something wrong. Emerald agreed. I took them for a drive and told them to lead me there." Mercury nodded at that point. He had probably sensed them directly above him. "You were under a park in Coldhedge; not exactly somewhere there are signs to. We looked into buildings with basements and came up empty. When they knew you were moving again, we followed their directions and found you off the side of a road."

Mercury frowned. "How'd I end up there?" His question was more to himself.

"Probably had to do with the fact that your heart was beating once a minute. Very easy to miss a pulse." Qrow had at first and had only checked for longer because Ruby told him to.

"So they thought I was dead."

"That's the only thing that makes sense. Any thoughts otherwise?"

"…No. She was keeping me alive for a reason. I don't know why."

"At the moment, I'm the only one who's seen your medical report. A good read if you like horror stories. How much do you want them to know?"

"Very little. There is something they should probably know though. Did I have a drug in my system when I was found?"

At that point, the door opened. Qrow moved to the corner to allow more space. Even so, it was a small room to fit the entire family. Still, it was manageable. Tai gave Qrow a plate while Emerald had Mercury's. One good thing about stir fry, other than the taste, was that it was very quick to cook.

For once, Ruby wasn't the first to finish. Mercury was. He licked his lips and placed the plate on the bedside table. "Delicious."

Yang smirked at him. "Worth the wait?"

"Oh definitely. I've missed this."

Everyone's plate joined his soon enough. As Qrow's hit the top and he settled into the spare chair, the mood changed almost immediately. Cheery to sombre.

Mercury sighed. "So who knows what?"

"Everyone knows everything," Qrow answered. "Emerald becoming part Maiden was the tipping point."

"And we can still stay?"

Tai was still in charge of the house. "You can stay as long as you want."

"…Thank you."

"Do you want anyone to leave for this?"

Mercury shrugged. "I don't care."

Emerald wrapped an arm around him. He did tense at first, but relaxed into her. They had been breaking that habit.

Qrow leant forward. "Okay, how do you want to do this? A story or question and answer?" Question and answer would allow Mercury to keep quiet on things he didn't want to talk about. A story got everything out at once.

"Question and answer." His eyes went to Emerald. "I went for a look around to see if there was another shop. Saw a van parked outside a house and I knew it was outside of hours. Got into a fight, managed to accidentally kill two of them but I didn't see that there was still a guy in the van until a second before the tranquiliser kicked in."

There weren't many tranquilisers that could take down someone with unlocked aura. Given what had happened to him, none of them would be blaming him too much for killing the two. That was the kind of people they were dealing with and if it was an accident, it was easily done if they didn't have aura.

Qrow showed him a photo. "Recognise him?"

"That's the same guy."

"Right." There was something he should mention. "He's dead. Found by the police the same night we found you."

There was a brief silence following that, though everyone had varying expressions from Ruby's disgust to Emerald's almost smile. No one thought that was a coincidence. It did raise more questions though. Why kill someone who was an asset to you?

"How did Cinder know where you were?" That was from Ruby. She was sitting on the end of his bed.

"She didn't. The men were working for her and saw I was interested in what they were doing. They attacked me and I was winning. Cinder's always on the lookout for potential. She didn't know it was me until after I woke up." His gaze went from Ruby to Qrow. "Was that where the Maiden lived?"

"Yep. The Spring Maiden."

"What's the difference?"

"Abilities," Emerald answered, biting her lip. "Mine are, well, very weak. I can't use it."

Mercury's eyes went to each of them and must have seen something odd. "Emerald, what am I missing?"

It was Yang who answered when the others didn't. She wasn't smiling either and she avoided his eyes. "The Spring Maiden can heal."

"Oh." He gave Emerald a smile. "So that's why you're a painkiller."

"A what?"

"Earlier, your touch should have hurt then, but it didn't. Ruby was comforting but it wasn't the same. It still hurt when she accidentally touched something. You were different. You're touching a bad shoulder and it doesn't hurt as much as it should. The rest does though."

Maybe it was a mixture of experience and power.

"I hurt you?"

Mercury shrugged. "It was going to happen Ruby. It just meant I couldn't stay awake as long."

He was curious as to what he meant, but it wasn't important now. Qrow's hand slipped into his pocket. He had copied the mark on Mercury's back, as he didn't want to see that photo again anytime soon. There was no need for the girls to see it either.

"This mean anything to you?"

Mercury unfolded it and stared. His finger traced the image. After a moment, he turned the paper until it was the correct way up. "The symbol doesn't, but this is what's on my back, isn't it?"

"Yes." This wasn't good. "Any idea how you got it?"

He was quiet for a few seconds, clearly running through what he was going to say. "Cinder literally drew it. She used fire tipped fingers but there was something else. Something that was different. Maiden power was my thought."

Maiden power. That would explain why the mark was different from anything on record. "And the black Dust?"

"Black…? No idea…That was probably what they kept injecting me with."

"Any changes that you noticed afterwards?"

Mercury took a good moment to consider that. Emerald pulled him closer. "Only one thing and I'm not sure about it. They injected that tranquiliser into me a few times. It paralyses the muscles then knocks you out a few seconds later. At first, it worked fine. Then, Cinder injected me with that before her art project, but it only paralysed me. It didn't knock me out. It was the same the other times afterwards."

Which meant that Mercury was awake and helpless throughout the whole ordeal. Everyone reacted badly when that scenario occurred to them. The factual way he said it didn't help either.

Ruby moved up to him. The look he gave her was universal for 'I have no idea what I said to upset you', but he did allow her to pull him into a hug. Emerald closed her embrace as well.

"Why did she do it?" Yang asked. Her voice was a pitch higher than normal.

"No idea. She had a reason though."

"She did it to hurt you," Emerald mumbled.

"Maybe, but that can't be the only reason. It wasn't her who beat me first, it was the guy from the van. She had seemed annoyed at the time. He was her link to the criminal underworld around Vale and he was pretty charismatic. If he's dead because she thought he killed me…" Mercury shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."

It was easy to find someone connected to the criminal network, although some were more useful than others. She would find a replacement soon enough.

"So nearly killing you wasn't Cinder's idea?" Ruby appeared to be struggling to understand this mind-set. It took years of experience to become disillusioned to the world to Qrow's level and this woman still disturbed him.

"I don't think so. If she was going to kill me, she would have done it herself a lot sooner. She just turned a blind eye to the guy's vendetta. Until he went too far."

"Vendetta?" Yang repeated.

"Like I said, I didn't mean to kill those guys in the van. They just didn't have their aura unlocked. They also happened to be his childhood buddies and he didn't take their deaths well. I guess Cinder decided he was too emotional to be of use."

That was an interesting thought. It was also a very concerning one.

Qrow rested his head on his knuckles. "What did she say to you, Mercury?"

"Well, at first she wanted to make sure I hadn't done a deal with someone…and my thanks for not getting anyone else involved. Then she asked about Emerald. I told her I hadn't seen her since she was stabbed. Cinder offered my old job back. I said no."

He said no.

He said _no_.

Neither Qrow nor Tai could keep the smile off their faces at those three words.

Ruby squeezed tighter. "What did she do?"

A sad smile grew on Mercury's face. He gestured to the damaged prosthetics. "She did this when I implied I _might_ say no. How she responded to the actual word…Well, she was probably only angry I was 'dead'."

Mercury had said no. Why keep him alive, then? Was she trying to change his mind or was it something else? Why use so many resources on him?

"Do you have any idea what she has planned?" Qrow didn't think this was likely, but he needed to ask.

His suspicions were confirmed with a shake of the head. "No. She didn't say anything useful and neither did my other visitors. She was distrustful of me at first and then I refused. She wasn't going to tell me anything."

Qrow had been told within a week of adopting them that Cinder had an ultimate plan that began with the destruction of Vale. The original plan had included sneaking into the Vytal Festival as exchange students and using Emerald's Semblance to cause devastation. Obviously those plans have changed, but they needed to know what they were now.

There was one more thing that Qrow wanted to know. Why had he brought it up? "Mercury, in your blood, there was another drug when you were found that the hospital hadn't seen before. What was it and are there any long term effects?"

"They've never seen it before, huh? Odd. Marcus had it since I was at least eight." That sentence alone made Emerald tense up. "It enhances hearing and touch for about six hours. The slightest touch feels like you're being cut open. A normal volume voice is a drill into your skull. It wears off on its own."

Hence why it couldn't be found in his blood now. It was possible Mercury's better hearing and higher sensitivity to touch was a long term effect, if Qrow read that statement right. He wanted the girls to know that was why he reacted so badly to touch; that was why he said it earlier. He was worse than any other abuse case Qrow had seen.

If it wasn't for that Animin bond, no doubt both of them would've ended up in a prison or in a ditch.

They didn't deserve that.

/

Taiyang put the dishes in the sink. Qrow had followed him into the kitchen.

"He said 'no', Qrow."

"I heard."

"He said ' _no_ '."

Qrow chuckled. "Yeah. Stupid kid."

It _was_ stupid. It should have gotten him killed or worse. Mercury knew that. Whatever was planned for him was probably worse. They had been so close to losing him forever.

"He knew better," Qrow commented. He was still grinning.

"Yeah." Tai let out a long breath. "Honestly Qrow, I didn't think we were getting anywhere with him."

"Same here. We're really stuck with them now, Tai."

"Heh. I'm not complaining."

Qrow was still grinning as he headed out of the front door, throwing "Shopping" over his shoulder. Knowing him, he was going to buy the kids all of their favourite treats. Tai did agree they deserved them. Even at this time, the shop should still be open.

"Taiyang?"

"Hmm?" He turned around to see Mercury still on the bed, but Emerald near Tai.

"Help patch me up?"

Tai smiled at him, taking the offered med kit from Emerald. "Sure thing."

Yeah, these two were his kids just as much as Ruby and Yang were. Should Cinder or Salem come calling, they weren't taking them away.

/

After he was patched up, the trio were given room. Even Yang had left them after a while, with a very cheery smile.

Mercury was glad they did. He knew they saw him as family and he had learnt that he didn't necessarily have to like people to live with them. He had made up his mind they were his and he didn't want to put any of them (even Yang) in danger. He had always thought that Qrow had lied about his death causing theirs, but that didn't mean he was going to aggravate his old boss. He didn't want to die.

That one question she asked was only going to have one answer and he expected that answer to result in his death. He was rather unnerved that it didn't.

Qrow must be one of the main protectors of Remnant against the dangers that the public didn't know about. That he didn't know what the symbol meant worried him as well. Mercury had also never heard of black Dust before, so why did Cinder keep injecting him with it? She must have had a reason.

 _Apparently my opinion was not part of the equation. Pretty much sums up working for her._

He caught Ruby staring at the remains of his legs. When she noticed his inquisitive look, she bit her lip. "How long will those take to fix Mercury?"

"They're useless Ruby." He barely managed to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but this wasn't Ruby's fault. As much as he hated those metal limbs, he relied on them. He needed them. He couldn't fight without them. "I'll have to make new ones."

"I'll help. What do you need?"

Of course Ruby would volunteer to help. They had had a lot of discussions about weapons worked, some lasting hours. "It depends on what I can scavenge from these."

The internal wiring might still be of use; practically everything external was fried. He was now pleased Ruby had manipulated him into getting spare parts back then, but it wasn't going to be enough. At least Cinder hadn't taken the Dust out of them. While the prosthetics would respond to a normal civilian, it was a combination of Dust and his aura that had given him speed and agility. Without aura active, they had been no better than stumps.

 _Not that there was much room to try moving them._

"Okay. Are we going have to build around them or…?"

"I can take them off." He had just never done so. He had never needed to. He really wasn't looking forward to it.

Emerald ran a finger down the right leg. Mercury didn't feel it. He should; they had artificial nerves but that was when they were functional. Right now, they were useless.

She then glanced at Ruby. Ruby vanished and reappeared back on the end of the bed within five seconds. He couldn't see what she was holding, but she was nervous.

Focusing on Emerald's aura told him she was the same.

 _What's going on?_

Ruby was the one who spoke. "Well, the usual words are 'happy birthday', but well…" She held out the object. "Your Gems got this for you."

 _My Gems, huh?_

He hadn't realised what day it was.

Tenderly, he took the cube. It was quite small, about the size of his palm, and had been wrapped carefully. He had wondered why Yang had asked him when his birthday was. He had decided it was so she could brag she was older than he was (by four months). He would never have thought this.

Ruby was craftier than he thought. Maybe she had taken lessons from Emerald.

Underneath the wrapping was a plain black box. After finding the hinge, he pulled it open slowly. After the initial force, it settled quickly with a slight thump.

Mercury stared, mesmerised.

Inside lay the image of a silver fox in mid leap with the head slightly facing him. Beautiful wings were spread above it, the colour a little lighter. The eyes were literally a sparkling green and the chest area appeared to be sprayed red, with the leg over the top remaining silver. The red had transitioned to silver before the hind legs.

It was genuine. The eyes were genuine emeralds. The red was red Dust. The main body was pure silver while the wings had been forged with silver Dust.

It was a cufflink, but there was a back piece that separated to reveal a pin. He could wear it on any clothing.

 _You two got this for me?_

"It's magnificent."

Both girls smiled widely. His eyes flickered back to his hand. The material price never crossed his mind. To him, it was priceless.

Green eyes. Red chest.

'Magnificent' was nowhere near a good enough word for this gift.

* * *

 **AN: I was asked if team RWBY would still be formed. It's not much of a spoiler to say no. I apologise to those who want it, but it's not going to happen. Blake and Weiss will still be in this fic, but I have different plans for them.**


	8. Huntresses

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

In the end, it only took two weeks to build new prosthetics for Mercury and only one shopping trip had been needed.

Ruby would come home from school, tell the pair about her day, and then jump into mechanics. As Emerald had been sharing a bed with Mercury until his wounds healed, they had dumped many of the parts on her bed and he would work with them throughout the day. Emerald had no idea about machinery, but this actually helped. Sometimes when they explained it to her, they realised there was a better and cheaper way of doing something. With such a variety of weapons in the house, they already had a lot of what he needed and the low maintenance their weapons required meant they were happy for him to use it.

The result wasn't just a replacement, but an upgrade. These were far more responsive than his old pair and had a strong protective casing, also becoming waterproof rather than splash proof. They no longer looked like stumps with external wires, but more like actual legs. They could take a lot more damage when the aura was gone and required a lot less aura to protect when it was active.

It did take him a few days to get used to the differences, resulting in a lot of laughter from Yang when he overshot something. She wasn't even deterred with the fact it would be even more difficult to beat him in a fight when he figured everything out. Mercury took it in good heart.

Then beat her in four seconds flat when they sparred.

Yang wasn't even bothered.

His wounds healed in those two weeks and the new scars were beginning to fade. The only one remaining was that symbol on his back and what had already been there. The black Dust had done nothing. It was still only present and wasn't damaging in any way. There were no theories on how to remove it, but then only a few doctors knew of it.

There had been no one visiting the hospital at Brisk Hill to ask for Mercury. Maybe they hadn't realised he was alive or they had a different reason for leaving him there.

Qrow joined the four kids outside, sitting almost in a circle. Ruby had asked him to teach them more about aura transfer, though he wasn't entirely sure whose idea it was or why they wanted to know. He was fairly sure it was probably Emerald's idea, but he had no way to know. He did not want them trying to do it on their own, though.

Naturally, Yang wanted to try anything new and Ruby didn't want to leave her out.

"You do realise," Qrow settled on the ground as well between Ruby and Yang, "that there is a very good reason this is taught when you're older?"

"Because most aren't perfectly in tune with their aura." Mercury wasn't wrong. Only Yang frowned at that.

"Exactly. It's easy enough to activate a Semblance and your personal shield is instinctive. Manually manipulating it is how you transfer it to someone else or how you read them." The reason that Qrow didn't think it was Mercury's idea was that he already had fantastic control over his aura. His wasn't just instinctive; it was second-nature.

It was also ridiculous in one so young, unless there was a different reason for it.

"Read them?" That was something he hadn't mentioned at the time and naturally Yang was curious. "What do you mean read them?"

"'Read' is probably the wrong word, even if it is technically what you're doing. It's a way of talking to someone through aura. There are certain conditions that are needed though. Care to guess?"

Ruby tilted her head. "If you have to read someone's aura, does that mean you have to be touching them? Like with a transfer?"

Qrow nodded. "Yep. As everyone's natural aura acts as a shield, the two shields touching makes the best connection. It doesn't matter whether it's a palm on the shoulder or even a finger on the chest. The lower the aura levels, in both people, the more difficult it is."

"What if one of them doesn't have aura?" Emerald asked. This lesson probably was her idea. Qrow wondered why.

"Then there's nothing to read. And that's where we're going to start."

"What?" Oddly, that was Ruby. "Why?"

Qrow always preferred practical demonstrations than learning from books. Also, there was little danger from trying to read aura and it lead nicely into transfer. "Ruby, close your eyes and try to focus your aura now."

Naturally, Ruby did as instructed. Seconds stretched to minutes with nothing happening. She gave a frustrated growl and opened her eyes again. "Why can't I do it? I did before."

"The circumstances were very different. A more distressed emotional state can help you focus or it can make you panic. That depends on the person."

"Ruby? Panic?" Mercury scoffed.

"You didn't see her on her first day of school," Yang smirked. "Little Rubes was certainly panicking then."

"I was not!"

"Were too."

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

Emerald and Mercury spun their heads in perfect sync as if they were watching a sport's rally. They knew these arguments could go on for a while and obviously saw no need to get involved. Still, Qrow did intend for them to be in bed by curfew, no matter how many hours away it was.

"No comment," Qrow cut in. He certainly remembered Ruby panicking. "Being able to calm yourself and focus is something nearly every teenager struggles with. Meditation helps a lot, but it takes quite a bit of time."

"How much?" Maybe it was Ruby's idea. She really was determined.

"It varies. Normally, those with internal Semblances manage it easier, but there are exceptions. Often those that have a more controlled Semblance than a passive one also do well quicker. The main problem with aura reading is that it is difficult at first." Qrow's eyes focused on Mercury. "Any thoughts on why?"

"Because it's just a mess. The emotions are easy enough if you've felt them before, but the images can be a nightmare to figure out."

"Exactly. It takes practice to get to the point your aura automatically translates that into words and even then, it's only with that person."

Ruby gave Mercury a brief look, but turned back to Qrow. She was obviously just as curious as he was about her friend's knowledge. "Is this possible between anyone?"

"It is possible between friends. It is not possible between friendly acquaintances. For this, there is a difference Ruby. To do anything though, you need to be able to focus your aura. That's the first step."

"So when we glow, we can move on?" Yang liked the idea of that.

"That's the most obvious sign, but it isn't necessary." Qrow placed his hands on knees. Again, his gaze went to Mercury. "I would like to try something with you, as a demonstration."

He was interested. "Depends what it is."

"My thought was for you to close your eyes. One by one, I want you to identify the others and even try and say what else you can tell. Through touch." The last part was obvious, but this was also Mercury. He didn't like contact.

He tilted his head, clearly thinking it over. He nodded. "Sure."

Once his eyes were closed, Qrow gestured for Emerald and Ruby to put a bit of space between them and told all three to move around, so he couldn't use where they were originally sitting to help guess. After they did so, he pointed at Emerald. Best to start off with someone he was comfortable with.

The cufflink the girls had gotten him was currently fixed to the overturned collar. Regardless of what he was wearing, he always wore it.

Emerald leant towards him and placed a finger on his knee.

"Emerald." Mercury's answer was immediate. His body was still relaxed and hadn't responded to her at all. "She was annoyed but now pleasantly surprised."

"I thought this exercise was stupid," she elaborated. "Apparently you can already do it. I didn't know that. I thought…"

Reading moods was the easiest thing to do. As for Emerald, Qrow placed a finger over his lips. She had probably felt him read her, but didn't know what it was. She fell quiet.

Next up was Yang. Again, she barely touched him.

"That's Yang." He tilted his head, silent for a few seconds. "All I'm getting is cheerful."

"I'm more complicated than that, Mercury," she grinned.

"I would hope so."

There were a few reasons why Mercury found Emerald easier to read. She was more affectionate with him and he also trusted her more. Qrow did wonder if the Animin bond also helped, but there was no way to check.

Rather than Ruby, Qrow himself mimicked their actions. He certainly sensed Mercury's aura focus on his and he manipulated it to say 'I don't like Grimm near the home'. It should be clearer as he was manually detailing a message, but Mercury was also the least experienced with him. He wouldn't catch the words which meant he had to interpret the mess himself.

The response was nowhere near as quick. After a few seconds, Mercury spoke. "I don't recognise it. It's definitely Qrow." He was quiet for a few more seconds, then a minute. "'Grimm shouldn't be near the house'?"

For a first attempt to read someone he trusted but had never consciously felt the aura of before, that was extremely good.

"Close enough. 'I don't like Grimm near the home'. Very well done."

He moved back again. It didn't escape his notice that Mercury had tensed up then when he got too close. There were also a few reasons for that. He didn't know the main one. He would ask Emerald later.

Qrow only intended for one more. He didn't plan for it to be Ruby. His fingers flicked and Zwei, who had been watching from the treeline behind the group, trotted over. His paws were absolutely silent and he placed one on Mercury's knee. Fortunately, the sisters were able to prevent their giggles escaping. Emerald just shook her head in exasperation.

"…That dang dog." Mercury opened his eyes and glared at the canine. Zwei, for his part, barked and hopped into his lap. Despite the teen's annoyance, the dog still got a pet from him.

 _That was surprisingly quick._

Apparently Zwei had been more of a nuisance to Mercury than Qrow originally thought.

Ruby gave Mercury a one arm hug (to which he gave her a smile) and scratched Zwei behind the ears. "So when we can manipulate our aura, we can talk to one another with it?"

"Yes."

"And then we can work on aura transfer?"

It was unusual for Ruby to focus on the end result, rather than the steps she needed to take to reach it. Qrow was definitely missing something here.

"We'll see."

* * *

It wasn't until she saw the woman in red that Ruby realised exactly how much trouble she was in. Sitting alone in what could be called an interrogation room really drove the point home.

Emerald and Mercury had told her about Cinder Fall and given her very clear instructions: run. Run because she couldn't win and she would have no qualms killing her. After seeing what she could do, she fully understood why Emerald was terrified of her. She wasn't looking forward to them finding out about this.

How was she supposed to know that robber had been working with her?

Ruby wasn't left alone for long.

"I hope that you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger." The woman sounded more disappointed than angry.

"Well, they did start it." It wasn't said with the enthusiasm she had had at the time. She was dreading everyone's reactions when she got back. Yang would be proud of her and maybe Dad, but Emery wouldn't.

"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back," _Please do._ "And a slap on the wrist." Ruby squeaked as the whip snapped on the table, despite knowing it wouldn't hit her. "But...there is someone here who would like to meet you."

Ruby knew of him. Why was he here? Her eyes slid to the huge pile of cookies, wondering if he was willing to share.

"Ruby Rose." Why did he know her? Was that a good or a bad thing? "You…have silver eyes."

"Err…" What was she supposed to say to that?

"So, where did you learn to do this?" He didn't sound angry. Was he…impressed? She hoped so.

"Signal Academy."

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Ruby was proud of that achievement, but credit where credit was due. "Well, Uncle Qrow did. He's one of the teachers there and I was complete garbage until he took me under his wing." That was a pun Yang would be proud of. "Now I can actually beat my sister sometimes, even when she's not trying to let me win." With 'sometimes' being once a year, though she had been getting better recently.

"I see."

He pushed the plate towards Ruby, much to her joy. She munched one, but neither of the adults reached for it. If they weren't going to eat one, then it was Ruby's duty to finish them. Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom.

"And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"I want to be a Huntress." It was such a simple and obvious answer. Why would anyone train to be a Huntress if they didn't want to be one?

"You want to slay monsters?"

Back when she first started Signal; that was all there was to it. Now though, Ruby wanted more. "Not just that. I want to help people. People who can't help themselves. I want to fight all evil, not just the monsters that are easy to see."

His fingers interlocked. "That is very ambitious Ruby."

"I know. But every person I help, their life is better. That's why I train so hard."

There was quiet following that, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. It was natural. It felt a little like talking with Uncle Qrow. He glanced at the woman, who sighed and looked away.

"Do you know who I am?"

A silly question. "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the Headmaster of Beacon." The school she would attend in two years.

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"If you could choose whether to stay at Signal or to attend Beacon this coming year, which would you like?"

Ruby blinked, feeling her heart pound. On one hand, she would leave her friends behind. On the other, she would be with her sister. And if they would come, Emery too. But was she ready? It wasn't the schoolwork or combat classes that made her take so long to decide.

"I would love to attend Beacon."

"Okay."

 _Just like that?_

Looked like Ruby would achieve her dream sooner than she thought.

* * *

"You invited Ruby to Beacon."

"Yes."

That was what Qrow thought he said. "Is there any point in asking why?"

"Many reasons."

"I thought so." Qrow began to pace. He wasn't convinced this was a good idea. In fact, he was very sure it wasn't.

"Physically, she is ready for Beacon and academically, she is near the top of her class."

"That doesn't mean she is ready to skip ahead two years."

"She is mature enough to make an informed decision. She gave the offer some thought before accepting."

There was no way Ruby was going to refuse an offer to Beacon, though her giving it any thought at all was encouraging. The outcome was still predictable. Still, Oz wasn't wrong in that Ruby had the right to decide her own future and all she had ever wanted to be was a Huntress. Qrow could advise, but that was all.

"You do realise by accepting Ruby, you're going to get the rest of the package deal?"

"I know. I look forward to meeting them." Oz took a sip from his coffee, still quite calm. "How have the two been recently?"

"Mercury's completely healed and you wouldn't think anything happened to him the way he acts. Ruby's in for quite a scolding from him when she gets back. I don't think Emerald's going to be much better."

"Perhaps. I do believe it was Glynda's appearance that caused Cinder's intervention."

"It was still Cinder Ruby was fighting and Ruby knew it. Ruby knows better than most how dangerous that woman is."

"Indeed. It would appear after Payne Goldin's death, Roman Torchwick has become her newest pawn. While he has just as much influence, perhaps more in Vale city itself, there must be a reason she didn't select him first."

Qrow scoffed. "Rumour has it, he doesn't like Faunus. Getting him and the White Fang to work together really will be magic." While Cinder had initially failed to recruit the group, it was thought the Maiden power changed their minds.

"Magic…We have seen quite a bit recently, have we not?"

"Emerald would certainly agree, though she isn't very happy with the coincidence."

"Maybe it was not coincidence." That grabbed Qrow's attention. "An Animin bond is thought to be formed by magic; we have no other explanation. Children often think of their family when dying. Perhaps she was thinking of her cousin or her father."

"So it became random." Then it clicked. "You think the Maiden power went to Emerald because of the magic from the bond? Then why not Ruby?"

"It's just a theory. An interesting trio, is it not? One who is a Maiden, one with silver eyes and one who is thought to be a true Aura Wielder."

Aura Wielders were very different. They could apply their aura in ways no other person could, such as actually healing themselves or even just ignoring injury and pain. There were other abilities as well, even ones that could be as deadly to the Aura Wielder as the creature they were attacking. Sometimes there were a handful in a generation, sometimes there were none. It wasn't genetic. There hadn't been a known one in over sixty years.

Qrow didn't directly answer that. "We still have the problem that Mercury is going to be a prime target. Patch is quite isolated. Beacon and Vale are not."

Oz sighed. "That is a problem. I have searched for the symbol, but it eludes me. There may be an answer in the Old Archives, but that in itself has problems."

"Then this may help. He describes a 'hole' in his aura at that exact spot. No matter how many times he tries, he cannot apply it there. That's a technique he mastered before we met him and he's never come across this problem before."

"Interesting. That may narrow it down. Dr Waterbrook is also more experienced than many physicians. He may find a solution for the black Dust."

"That doesn't answer how we let Cinder know her plan for him, whatever it is, isn't going to work."

"No. That is going to take some careful consideration."

None of that was Qrow's key concern. "…It's not just the health problems, Oz. I'm not sure how well they're going to handle a school environment. They've made a lot of progress in a few months, but I'm not sure they're ready."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Qrow met his gaze. "You really want to have these three at your school?"

"Yes."

"Beacon had better be insured."

* * *

When she got home, she faced her family's reaction at the story.

'Awesome' was Yang's word.

'I'm proud of you' was Dad's phrase.

Emerald smiled and said 'congratulations', then retreated to her room.

Mercury didn't say anything. He left the room. He then left the house.

Neither Dad nor Yang noticed. They fawned on her for a few hours after that. Ruby got annoyed with it, saying she only did what any student would. Yang's response was to list a bunch of students who wouldn't. Ruby did agree; those named were complete jerks. Soon enough, she got caught up in the excitement.

It was only when she passed Emery's room while heading to bed when she realised she hadn't seen either of them for a few hours. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Emerald was lying on her bed. She didn't acknowledge Ruby when she stepped into the room. Mercury was nowhere to be seen. Sitting on his bed, she bit her lip.

"Emerald I didn't know."

"You know more than nearly anyone on Remnant Ruby. You knew she was stealing Dust and hired other people to do the work for her. Did you even _suspect_ it?"

Ruby didn't answer. Yes, she should have known better. In honesty, it had never crossed her mind that it wasn't just a petty robbery by some greedy man who wasn't honourable. She should have known better.

"No." Nothing more than a whisper.

Emerald sat up. "We're furious with you Ruby. Do you know why?" Meekly, she shook her head. "It's because you did _nothing_. You _knew_ who you were fighting. You _knew_ she would kill you. And you chose to _stare_ rather than fight and dodge. You stood there and would have been killed if that Huntress didn't protect you. You made no attempt to protect yourself."

Cinder didn't appear until the Huntress did. In fact, not once did Cinder even aim at her. Ruby would merely have been collateral damage because she had chosen to ogle at the stolen power rather than try and avoid it.

"I know." Her head dropped. All that training and she didn't use it when she needed to.

She felt arms wrap around her. Emerald was always warm now. "We're not expecting you to be perfect, Ruby. We know you know better. That's what's so frustrating. We know you can do better."

"You would have done better."

"I would be dead if I'd frozen. Luckily, you don't have to learn like that." Emerald sighed and moved back a bit. "What was it Ruby? Fear?"

"No. I don't know. I just…watched. It didn't even occur to me to get involved. It took a while for me to realise Cinder was attacking me as well. It was the insane flamethrower that made me realise it."

"Please Ruby, don't do it again."

"I won't. I promise." Ruby returned the embrace. "You are coming to Beacon with me aren't you?"

"Of course." She had no idea how long that hug lasted. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours. Eventually, Emerald let go. "Go find Mercury. Just remember he's worried about you. That's why he's angry."

Ruby nodded. She wasn't looking forward to this. She pushed off the bed to get to her feet and heard the slight thumps of her footsteps on the carpet. She left the room, closing the door behind her and trailed towards the front door.

"Ruby?" Uncle Qrow had come home.

"Hey."

"Your dad sent me the news. Congratulations."

"Thanks." She looked outside. "Did you pass him at all?"

"I did. He'll be back soon."

"Right."

Uncle Qrow hadn't closed the door behind him nor did he make any attempt to stop Ruby when she walked past him into the cool air. She could feel his eyes on her as she headed away, but she put it out of her mind.

He hadn't gone to the harbour. He hadn't gone to Signal. He hadn't gone into town. By the direction, there was only place he could have gone.

Mercury was standing in front of her mother's gravestone.

Ruby joined him, staying quiet. She was going to visit her mom tomorrow and tell her she couldn't visit as often. She didn't mind doing it tonight.

"Do you want your gravestone here as well Ruby?" Mercury's voice was scathing.

She flinched. There was no part of her that even considered arguing or saying anything in her defence. That one sentence was still worse than any scolding she had ever gotten. She deserved it.

But Mercury didn't continue. He just stood there, refusing to look at her. After several minutes, her gaze drifted from her friend to her mom. Her mom would have done so much better than she did.

"I'm sorry."

She had said she wanted to go to Beacon. She still had so much to learn. A Signal student would have done the same as her in the shop, but a true Huntress would protect people from Cinder Fall. That was what she wanted.

Ruby was pulled close; held protectively against his chest. "She could have killed you."

At first, Ruby was startled. Not once had Mercury ever hugged them. He responded when they hugged him, but he had never…Not once…

She wrapped her arms around him, tightening her grip.

 _Emerald would have died if he hadn't helped her. Cinder nearly killed him and there was no one to help him._

Just because most of the injuries weren't there now, didn't mean it never happened.

"I know."

Mercury wasn't angry now. Ruby could read him well enough for that. He was different from Emerald and Yang in that he could stop the others reading him, no matter how hard they tried, if he felt like it. Now though, he wanted her to know what he was feeling. Disappointed and worried.

His hand rubbed her back gently. "So…Beacon, huh?"

"Yeah." She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "You're coming too, aren't you?"

"Hmm…I suppose I could fit it into my busy schedule."

Beacon was her next adventure. She knew she was ready. It was going to be fun and she was greatly looking forward to it. New experiences, new people and a new chapter in her life.

And she had Yang, Emerald and Mercury to share it with.

* * *

 **AN: There a few things I want to say about this chapter.**

 **In the previous chapter, Mercury described his Semblance as ignoring injury and pain. He doesn't know about Aura Wielders or the possibility he is one. He knows he can do something fuelled by his aura that no one else can and so made an assumption. The three never told Qrow he could do this, so Qrow hasn't told them about Aura Wielders. In reality, Mercury doesn't know his true Semblance.**

 **The scene between Ruby and Ozpin was one of the first scenes to be written in this fic. I had wondered about removing it, but it's a good way to show differences between this Ruby and cannon Ruby.**

 **'Gems' is what Mercury calls Emerald and Ruby together. 'Emery' is what Ruby calls Emerald and Mercury together.**


	9. Ally, Enemy or Neutral

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY or Rooster Teeth**

* * *

"You can see Patch from here!"

Yang joined her sister by the window. The quartet had boarded together, but had split up to take in the views. She was certainly going to enjoy having the family at school with her, even if she did feel a little bit sorry for Dad.

It wasn't just Patch. Almost all of Vale was visible through the glass.

"Beacon's our new home."

Ruby bounced on her heels. "It's going to be great!"

"New friends, new classes and a lot of Grimm to blow up. This year's going to be a blast."

"And every year after that."

"Still glad you came now?"

"I don't think the terror of Beacon has really hit me yet."

Cheering and yells caught their attention. When they looked around, there was quite a crowd a little distance away. Money exchanging hands told Yang what the entertainment was and Emerald a few feet away face-palming told her who was involved.

"You know, that's probably a new record." Yang wasn't the slightest bit bothered that Mercury had somehow managed to get involved in a fight before they even made it to the school. She wondered if anyone wouldn't mind her raising the bets.

Ruby closed her eyes and groaned. "So much for good behaviour."

"He hasn't broken anything yet." At least there wasn't really anything he could break other than the windows and even Mercury wouldn't go that far over a small squabble.

" _Yet_ being the key word there."

"You know Ruby, if you can get along with those two so quickly, you're not going to have any problems making friends." Mercury had been very confrontational when they first met, though she and Emerald had been close before that misunderstanding and after things had settled.

"I hope. They're not that bad Yang."

"Not to you. Besides, you're special."

"I'm really not."

"Yeah, you are." Ruby was hopeless sometimes. "You just don't know it yet."

"You sound like Dad and Uncle Qrow."

There was a brief silence.

"Ten lien on Mercury winning in under three minutes."

Ruby scoffed. "I bet he'll play around more than that. Fifteen for over three minutes."

"Done."

They joined Emerald, who had managed to push her way to the front. The fight had already started, but Yang shook her head. She didn't recognise the guy, so he didn't come from Signal. She would remember a guy who carried an axe that had a hammer on the other end and swung it with a lot of power and little skill. Mercury wasn't even fighting; he was just dodging and made no attempt to hide how easy it was.

"What'd we miss?" Ruby asked, a bit squashed between the two.

"Well, this jerk was just begging for a fight. Mercury decided to oblige."

Translation: he said something, one of them (probably Mercury) shut him up and he took offence. He looked like he was trying to kill him. Even Yang didn't get angry that quickly. Then again, there was a reason Uncle Qrow called him 'Silvertongue'. Mercury could get anyone angry if he put in enough effort.

"So who is this guy?" Yang watched as another side-step put her friend out of harm's way.

"No idea."

No one who didn't know about Mercury's dancing style would see it here. His dodges were fluid and graceful, unlike the nearly clumsy idiot actually trying to hit him. It was almost embarrassing to watch actually.

Almost.

If Mercury kept this up, Ruby was going to be fifteen lien richer.

It was going to be close.

Mercury jumped. When the hammer hit the floor that time, he landed next to it and placed a boot on the shaft. The tug of war lasted a few seconds, ending when the boot was lifted just as the guy pulled back. He stumbled a few steps and was on the ground with a foot on his chest less than two seconds later and his axe/hammer a few feet away.

Cheers erupted, with the sisters joining in.

He turned and smirked, coming up to them. "Enjoy yourselves?"

"Greatly." Ruby sighed as she watched his opponent shove his way through the dwindling crowd. "It wasn't much of a fight though."

"Picking fights with superior opponents does that."

Emerald looked up from the scroll. "Three minutes and six seconds."

"Ha! Pay up Yang."

Yang groaned. That just wasn't fair. Her annoyance grew when no less than four people gave Emerald money before moving away. "You betted as well?"

Nearly everyone was gone now.

"She started the betting pool," Mercury laughed. "If he wasn't the one who looking for a fight, I would have thought Emerald had something to do with it."

"I merely took advantage of an obvious opportunity." Emerald was completely unrepentant.

Yang didn't blame her. She must have made over forty lien in three minutes and six seconds. She was just a little put out that Mercury had picked that fight to mess around with. Very rarely did he do that when they sparred. Then again, if the other guy started it and made a show of it…

"How'd the fight start anyway?" Yang wondered.

Emerald hadn't been clear on that before, but she did answer now. "He seemed to think Mercury was my boyfriend and said I could do much better. I agreed and told him I was very interested in people who could jump out of an airship and wind up in the ER in hospital."

Mercury shrugged. "I found that funny. I also commented Emerald likes it when she's not talking to the equivalent a brick wall."

"Which part of him is a brick wall?"

"Exactly."

Yang chuckled. "That's not how you make friends, guys."

She got a shrug from Emerald and a scoff from Mercury. It was interesting that these two would have more problems making friends than Ruby, who was currently looking very confused.

 _Looks like you've still got some growing up to do Ruby._

Yang was pleased about that, as selfish as it was.

* * *

Beacon was remarkable. Tall spires surrounding the main building with a grand courtyard and plenty of pathways leading all around campus. Emerald was going to have a great time exploring.

Naturally, where she led, Mercury followed. Both wanted the other's company. Soon enough, they were far enough away from the main courtyard and the other students. Ruby had already disembarked with Yang ahead of them. A coincidence they were happy for.

When they were far enough away and were certain they weren't being followed (even accidentally), Emerald spoke.

"So, what do you think?"

Mercury shrugged. "Building's not too bad so far. I do wonder about the students though. Is that going to be the level of intelligence we're going to be dealing with? If so, it's going to be _really_ hard to stick to 'thou shalt not kill'."

"Just make sure you hide the bodies well." Emerald knew the feeling. Yang said there were usually about three of those types of morons each year. She was pleased she hadn't run into any when they visited Signal.

Hopefully that little fight sent the message 'don't mess with us'. With how stupid some people could be, there were still going to be problems.

"How about you? You're more used to the social scene than I am."

"The place is big enough to avoid those I don't like, except for class." That was going to be a very strange experience.

"Could you be happy here?"

Emerald opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it and thought. She was going to be here for four years. She had never stayed in one place that long and she wasn't used to being noticed by strangers. She had very close friends in Ruby and Mercury and not as close friends in Yang. She would be surrounded by strangers though.

"I hope so." That wasn't a question that Mercury would ask many people. "How about you?"

"I-"

He broke off and frowned. Emerald had heard it too. It almost sounded like an explosion. A few seconds went by with nothing happening; no debris or panicked screams. She met his gaze and he shrugged.

"Probably a weapon backfire."

Emerald chuckled. If that was the truth, then that kid was going to be having a lot of problems. "Might be Vomit Boy." Probably not seeing as he only carried a sword.

Mercury smirked and the two started walking again. He shook his head. "Somehow, I can't see him as a Huntsman."

"He got into the academy, didn't he? He must be a better fighter than he is flier."

"He would be exceptional if he wasn't."

That was an understatement. "The guy who hit on me wasn't any better. I know you're good, but that was ridiculous."

"Getting angry makes you lose you focus. I would recommend some anger management lessons and this from someone who spars with Yang."

"Said person can also hold their own against Qrow and has actually defeated Taiyang." Very, very barely. Even if he had spent nearly 12 hours sleeping when he went to bed. It had certainly been a fantastic match to watch.

Mercury sparring with Yang was a way to help her control her Semblance. All three of them had been working with him in a way. Emerald had been working about adapting hers for battle and not making the mistakes she had with the Fall Maiden, though controlling her own Maiden power wasn't going well. Even Ruby enjoyed fighting someone who was as fast as her, save when she used her Semblance. Yang was powerful, not fast.

"Minor detail." He sighed. "Combat class is going to be a nightmare."

"Tell me about it." Emerald didn't want to stand out from the crowd, so she would have to be average. Too little and she's a pushover. Too much and she's going to be noticed by a lot of students. No way was she showing anyone her abilities.

Then a thought accorded to her.

"The Vytal Festival-"

"We can't do anything about that. We'll just have to be careful."

"But-"

Mercury put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's not worry about that right now. It's at the end of the year. We have to manage not to get thrown out first."

Emerald stepped forward and hugged him. When she tried to read him though, she found she couldn't. That was when she realized he hadn't answered her question earlier.

"What about you? Are you going to be happy here?"

"No idea. Depends on the luck of the draw." _Huh?_ "Didn't you hear some of the students talking about teams on the bullhead?"

 _Oh. That's a fair point._

She stepped back and slid her hand against his cheek. "There's three of us Mercury. There's a good chance you'll be on the same team as someone, even if it is only Yang."

"We'll see."

Emerald had heard about teams as well. The rumour that was going around was that there were four on a team. She had counted 24 students, including them; that was six teams. The problem was that they had no idea how they were formed.

"I'm just hoping I don't get stuck with that git. I swear, there will be murder by the end of the first day if that happens."

"…No chance of making friends with him then?"

Emerald glared at him, her mind strolling through ideas for things she could make him see. "Fair warning, Mercury. Shut up." She could see the query in his eyes, him wondering if he should push it.

"Not boyfriend material either?"

Okay the gloves were off. And she had just the hallucination in mind.

Mercury stopped in his tracks and blinked. Then he rubbed his head and looked at her. "Really? I wasn't _that_ bad."

"I'll add Goodwitch if you say something like that again."

He held his palms up. "Okay, okay. You win. No more boyfriend references."

"Glad we agree." Her smile was so sweet.

He scoffed and began walking again. "These are going to be four long years. No offense meant to you."

"None taken. I know what you mean." Her hand slipped into his. "I'm not sure I want to be a Huntress. Then again, what else am I supposed to do? I don't see me working in a shop. At least we've got time to decide. The years are going to be even longer if we don't find a way to enjoy ourselves."

"…The last few months have flown by." To Emerald, they had felt too short. After a few more steps, he sighed. "I guess I can't hate something I haven't tried yet."

Emerald smiled at him. "You'll be top of combat class anyway."

"I think I'll go for restraint, save for the ones who deserve it. I don't want everyone to know too much about me." Then he gave her an evil grin. "We may be near the top of combat class, but we're going to be at the bottom for the rest."

She groaned.

He wasn't wrong. They were intelligent and skilled; they weren't really educated. They had been taught some topics by Qrow and Taiyang, but Ruby was near the top of her class and she was expected to struggle. This first semester was going to be very tiring.

As they turned a corner, her eyes caught sight of two people looking around, though they weren't close enough to hear them. She wasn't too bothered; one was Ruby and the other (Vomit Boy) was having a friendly conversation with her. Looked like Yang had nothing to worry about.

Ruby spotted them and waved. "Hey guys."

 _Looks like we have nothing to worry about either._

"Hey Ruby." Emerald was happy to see her. "How's your day going?"

She scowled. "Well, first Yang ditched me, then this girl got really angry with me when I blew a hole in the courtyard."

 _Yang ditched her? Why?_

Mercury chuckled. "That was you? We heard it. So, how'd you get out of that one?"

"Luckily for me, she got mad at someone else and stormed off."

He shrugged. "Ah well. Her loss."

"I agree," Vomit Boy added. "She's great."

Emerald almost raised an eyebrow. Instead, she smiled. "No doubt. I'm Emerald and this is Mercury."

"Jaune Arc. Great name."

Strangely, that wasn't said with the same narcissism that Emerald usually heard from people. It sounded like a bluff and she was half tempted to call it. She squeezed Mercury's hand to prevent him from doing so. He was amused, but didn't say anything.

"Umm…" Emerald's eyes went back to Ruby when she spoke. "You guys wouldn't happen to know where we're supposed to go, would you?"

"Auditorium." Mercury had been paying more attention on the ship than Emerald thought. "Which, obviously, is back the way you came."

"Right. So what are we waiting for?" Ruby almost dashed away before remembering to wait for them.

"She's…" Jaune seemed to be searching for the right word. "Energetic."

"You've no idea," Mercury commented idly as he passed him to catch up with her.

* * *

"Hey guys! Over here!"

Mercury was more than glad for the distraction. The more he heard Jaune talk, the more he was sure he had no idea what he was talking about. More and more he wondered how he got into the school. It wasn't any of Mercury's business.

But Ruby seemed to enjoy his company and, even though he had no interest in making friends, Ruby liked having them. As she had been forced to leave her friends behind when she chose to attend Beacon, she only knew three people. If Ruby made a friend in Jaune, then he would have to tolerate him.

At least the idiot was genuine. He wasn't making friends for the sake of gaining information. If he was, he was going about it the wrong way.

Ruby filled Yang in on her morning. Mercury only half listened, his eyes scanning the crowd. He didn't recognise anyone there, save the moron he toyed with on the ship and a handful of students he remembered attended Signal.

"You!"

Mercury certainly tuned in then and wasn't impressed with what he saw. Emerald's scowl was hidden quickly enough from the sisters, but he caught it. As their arms were touching, he didn't need to focus very hard to know that every word this brat spoke made Emerald hate her even more.

He agreed. She pushed all the wrong buttons with him.

"She's a hazard to my health!"

"She's not the only one." Emerald's words weren't loud, but they didn't have to be. He was impressed she managed to keep the tone to mere dislike.

Naturally, that brought the brat onto her. "What are you, her bodyguard? If so, you failed abysmally earlier."

"Keep that up and _you're_ the one who's going to need of a bodyguard," Mercury observed.

"Are you threatening me? Don't you know who I am?"

"No idea." His shrug was playful, but his eyes were hard. "But keep that up and I won't need to. Idiots that are easily insulted will do the job for me." _Like that moron._

"Guys, enough."

It would be Ruby, wouldn't it?

"This coming from a barbarian."

It took him a moment to realise she was talking about his fight on the ship. If she didn't learn her lesson, well that wasn't his problem. He could honestly say he tried to stop Emerald doing something, even if he didn't try very hard.

Mercury turned his back on her. She wasn't a threat. If she was, Emerald could argue she was defending him when the sisters inevitably got upset. She was a lot angrier than she was showing and all of them, save the one who needed to see it, knew it. The brat definitely wasn't worth his time or even his attention.

"How dare-"

Professor Ozpin wasn't exactly what Mercury was expecting, but then he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Despite appearances, he had no doubt the old man was far from slow and was still a formidable foe.

"I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

 _That's…one interesting way to inspire your hopefuls._

"He seemed…different from before," Ruby noted.

"It was like he wasn't even there," Yang agreed.

Goodwitch was the Huntress that protected Ruby. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

 _Oh great._

Sharing a room with Emerald was fine. Sharing an entire ballroom with 23 people, 20 of which he didn't know and 2 of which he disliked greatly, was putting the word 'nightmare' lightly. He wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

At least nothing should happen in the night.

Mercury inaudibly groaned. He had probably just jinxed himself.

* * *

"It's like a big slumber party." Yang was remarkably cheerful.

"Dad wouldn't approve of all the boys though." One more line and her letter would be finished. It sure took long enough to write. Then again, a lot had happened that day.

"I know I do."

Ruby ignored Yang. She wrote her name and yawned. Once her pen hit the floor, her eyes glanced to her left. Right now, there was only one boy that she had any care for.

Unlike everyone else in the room, Mercury hadn't gotten changed. He was awake, sitting up against the wall, playing some game on his scroll. Emerald was next to him, watching and very obviously half asleep. Mercury wasn't looking the slightest bit tired. He was probably resigned to not sleeping at all and right before their initiation too.

"Ruby?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes went back to Yang, but her mind didn't.

"I asked what you were doing."

"Writing a letter to the gang back at Signal." She wasn't going to be seeing them any time soon. Now she thought about it, she had been drifting away from them recently. They were still close at school, but she saw far less of them outside it.

Ruby shook her head. Now wasn't the time.

"So how's your current friend count?"

"One positive, one negative and one neutral."

"Well, you've got variety."

She hummed again, her eyes drifting back to Emery. Emerald had dosed off and was curled up in her sleeping bag. Save for a hand on her shoulder, Mercury paid her no attention. While several people where giving him odd looks, he didn't once look up from his scroll.

Ruby had heard rumours about teams. She knew a few of Yang's friends from Signal. She had met a few other students already, but except for possibly Blake and maybe Jaune, Emery would struggle. Emerald was good with new people and hid her nervousness well. It took a long time to gain Mercury's trust and there would be a lot of trouble before that.

It didn't take Ruby long to realise something. She didn't like the idea of them being on anyone's team but hers.

She wanted Yang on her team, but her sister had a lot of friends that she would happily be with as well. Emery were only here because Ruby was here. It wasn't just that she was responsible for them; she wanted to look after them.

Ruby was one of the last to fall asleep.

Maybe there was a way to get them on the same team.

* * *

Mercury was the last one awake.

Emerald was fast asleep at his side. She didn't like sleeping in here either, but she knew he wasn't going to get any rest no matter what happened and he had agreed to keep an eye on her. He knew she only felt safe with him watching over her. Even if their situation was the reverse, Mercury still wouldn't settle.

His eyes scanned the hall again.

There were a lot of idiots. There weren't as many pre-established groups as he was expecting. There were quite a few that seemed to have no friends. In fact, there were more of the 'complete strangers to everyone' than 'people who came with friends'.

 _I'm doubtful snow brat managed to attend a school and not understand moronic behaviour._

Mercury had been in Signal for all of five minutes and learned quite a few things, none of them academic. Not that it mattered; he had no interest in interacting with anyone he didn't have to.

Something moved.

The door to the ballroom opened and Goodwitch took a few steps inside. Her gaze ran over the room, stopping at him for a moment before finishing their sweep. Afterwards, she returned her attention to him and gestured for him to follow.

Headmaster Ozpin could be seen in the doorway.

Mercury didn't move.

This could be a trap. Surely Ozpin knew that if Ruby was invited, they would come along for the ride. They had already told everything they knew to Qrow; why would Ozpin want to talk with him? There was no reason for it unless he thought they hadn't blabbed everything. He did not want to be in his presence if that was the case.

Then again, making an enemy of the headmaster of the school you were attending was a very stupid idea, especially when he could easily put you in prison.

Goodwitch had disappeared past him, but Ozpin remained.

 _So which is the frying pan and which is the fire?_

Emerald woke immediately to his gentle shake. He wasn't sure if she would be unhappier if he had left her vulnerable or if he had walked into what could easily be a trap. Either way, he had to wake her.

[Ozpin's at the door. I think he wants to talk.]

None of the girls had managed to manipulate their aura into messages, but Emerald and Ruby could now understand him perfectly, provided they were trying to read him and he could tell when they were. They had spent a lot of time attempting to read one another. He couldn't understand why they struggled. He hadn't had anyone to practice with or even teach him when he first began to manipulate his aura.

That woke her up fully. She looked over her shoulder and saw the man herself. She looked back at him and nodded. They would be fine with them watching the other's back.

Together, the two silently got up and slipped out.

Ozpin closed the door behind them and merely took them to the end of the corridor. If they chose, they could retreat into the courtyard. Mercury wondered the reason behind it. Maybe that was where Goodwitch was and they would walk into an ambush.

Mercury had learned his lesson with the Maiden: don't attack someone you know is more powerful than you unless overwhelming odds are in your favour. Ozpin knew the layout of the school; Mercury didn't. He had more allies and each one would be fully trained. No matter how good Mercury was and how skilful Emerald was, they didn't stand a chance.

That meant they had to avoid a fight.

The silence stretched. If Ozpin was waiting for them to speak first, he was in for quite a long wait.

"When it was decided to allow Ruby to attend Beacon this year, I was told that the school should be insured. I will admit, you work fast. I have never had a fight before school actually started." Oddly, he did not seem bothered. He was almost amused.

"Glad I could shake things up a bit." So he and Qrow were good friends.

"Indeed. I have been told of your rather unique situation." They said nothing. "Mercury, I was wondering if you would allow our doctor to work with you to try and eliminate the black Dust in your bloodstream."

"Is that another way of saying I'm going to become your guinea pig?" Bluntness had its uses. He needed to know what he was or wasn't agreeing to.

"I have no way to force you to comply and I have no interest in trying. However, I do believe it's in your best interest. There is a very good reason black Dust is so rare and why it is not available to the public." Ozpin looked Mercury in the eye. "As this has not happened in any known record, then your summation is not inaccurate."

That was what it came down to. Right now, that Dust was doing nothing. There was no guarantee that would continue. However, he didn't fancy being subjected to experiments like a lab rat. Still, what other choice did he have? Ozpin could force him to comply if he wanted to.

Emerald didn't say anything, obviously thinking it was his decision to make.

 _It's doing nothing that can be monitored._

"Are we your students or your prisoners?"

"That is up to you. I understand you attended because Ruby did?" Emerald nodded. There was no point denying that. "Personally, I see you as students. I cannot make you enjoy yourselves, but I have no intention of using you as weapons. You are free to do as you wish, as long as it does not harm other students."

Mercury doubted that. Even if he was telling the truth, just because he had no intention now didn't mean he wouldn't later. He and Emerald were good weapons against Cinder. That was probably the reason the two were allowed in.

"So we can say no?"

"Of course."

"Even to the Dust removal?" Would he push it?

"If that is what you wish." Ozpin didn't tag on it wasn't wise.

Mercury was quite sure he was being played. Then again, this was exactly what Qrow did when he realised they was bonded to Ruby. He chose to take them in and make sure they were comfortable, letting them stay even after the three could be apart without pain. Ozpin knew of their crime and was willing to allow them the same privileges as the other students?

What was the catch?

"What sort of experiments?" He wasn't agreeing. He wanted more information.

"Nothing that you don't give your permission to."

It was well and good to say that, but that was no guarantee.

"What about the symbol?"

"Once we identify it, we'll talk to you about options. Nothing will be done without your consent. You have my word on that."

"How do I know what your word is worth?"

"That is for you to decide."

It sounded too good to be true.

 _How many times have I thought that since moving to Patch?_

Emerald slid her hand into his. She was calm and determined. She was also very worried for him, showing him the scene where he had been found after Cinder dumped him. He could tell that picture was accidental, but it made her point. She was more afraid of Cinder's long term plans for him than Ozpin's offer. She thought the offer was genuine and a good idea.

Mercury was forced to agree with her.

"We'll see." He wasn't committing to anything without talking to the supposed doctors. "And my teammates?"

"Your teammates will only know what you choose to tell them."

Credit to Ozpin though: he hadn't been offended by Mercury's attitude.

When the pair slipped back into the ballroom, they noticed Ruby relax as she saw them. She had definitely been asleep when they left. Mercury nodded to her and led Emerald over to her sleeping bag. Within moments of getting comfortable, she was asleep again.

Five minutes later, so was Ruby.

Mercury remained awake.


	10. Initiation

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY**

* * *

It was rather interesting to be standing on a launch platform on the edge of a cliff with 23 other students.

Mercury knew the names of a few of them after the day before and that morning. Jaune was looking remarkably nervous. Pyrrha Nikos, a celebrity he had never heard of, seemed interested in the idiot for whatever reason. He had overheard the name Melody and the chatterbox had definitely said Ren. The name Cardin had come up, though he didn't know the face and the moron he had 'fought' on the airship was called George.

The only unknown that had been bothering him was a boy he had seen in the front row of the crowd of his fight. He had been observing students more than talking to them, but something was different. It reminded Mercury too much of himself.

 _There's a fine line between instinct and paranoia._

He put it out of his mind. It merely meant he wanted to avoid him.

The basic idea of initiation wasn't difficult to figure out. Huntsmen and Huntresses were trained to kill Grimm. They would be an obstacle for something. He was curious to the rest though.

"Today, your abilities will be tested in Emerald Forest."

There were so many possibilities to tease Emerald with that. At the moment, none were popping into his head.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...today."

 _Great._

Well, at least they had showed him a fun way of disposing of the teammates he didn't like.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." _Believe me, that's a very short list._ "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

 _Even better._

Emerald caught his eye and smiled, nodding to him. That made him relax. With their bond, it would be very easy to find her after landing. The trick would be managing to avoid eye contact with everyone else. That was a very easy trick.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die."

 _This is my kind of school._

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

 _Relics? Is that how the pairs are chosen to become a four?_

"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune sounded very afraid.

"Good. Now take your positions."

Mercury cracked his neck. This was going to be fun and easy.

"Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question. So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

 _Yep, this guy has no idea how to fight. He is so going to die._

"No. You will be falling."

 _One minute he cares about his students. The next, he sends them to their deaths. What a swell guy._

Mercury didn't catch the rest that he was sure followed. With a smirk, he was the next to be launched.

* * *

Ruby landed with ease.

She had seen Emerald and Mercury land in about the same area. She could also sense them heading towards each other. That wasn't surprising. If things went according to Emery's plan, they would be a pair.

So she needed to find someone the three of them could work with.

As Ruby ran somewhat in their direction, she ran through options in her head. Yang was obvious and her personal choice. They didn't seem to mind Jaune too much, so he was okay. She wasn't sure if he was good in a fight, but that could be taught. Blake seemed good as well. Weiss, not a chance. Pyrrha might be possible though.

Despite planning, Ruby didn't have much control over who she bumped into first. Why did Professor Ozpin have to make that stupid rule? There were 21 people she could accidentally bump into and nearly all of them were strangers.

Maybe if she caught up with Emery, she could ask them if there was anyone in particular they wanted to work with.

Since the rumours of teams had been circulating, Ruby had heard a lot of students wanting Mercury on their team. Quite a few others had approached Emerald and she had flat out said no, not bothering with a reason. While Ruby had been trying to make friends the day before (or at least try to avoid enemies), they hadn't cared.

Who knew school problems could start before the school did?

 _Oh snap._

She skidded to a halt before she crashed into someone. It was a close call. The dress told her it was Weiss. Their eyes locked.

Fortunately, she wasn't alone.

"You again?! Are you stalking me?"

"I'm looking for my friends."

"Well no one else would work with you."

Her partner didn't like that. "Weiss! That was uncalled for!"

"What? It's true."

Ruby didn't want to be the cause of argument. "I'll just go."

The girl was someone Ruby remembered seeing the day before, but hadn't spoken to. At least she was friendly and that triple barrelled gun looked pretty cool. "Are you looking for a partner?"

"Yeah."

She pointed to her right. "I heard blasts that way a while ago."

It was the direction Ruby wanted to go. "Thanks." She could not get away from this scene fast enough.

"No problem. I'm Melody by the way."

"Ruby."

"I hope you find your friends, Ruby."

Thank goodness not everyone who attending this school was mean or solitary. Excluding Jaune. "It was good to meet you." Deciding that the sooner she was away from Weiss the better, she took off again.

In hindsight, Ruby hadn't picked a great place to land. She was quite far from where she wanted to be and with every minute that passed, more pairs were formed. She was glad that Weiss wasn't her partner as there was no way her and Emerald could co-exist peacefully. They were too opposite.

Melody was nice though.

Sure enough, she eventually heard blasts. More importantly, she recognised them.

Even better, she was alone.

Yang was focused on the three Ursa in front of her. Therefore, Ruby was going to hit the four Beowolves behind her. She didn't bother with her Semblance; she just mowed straight through them. It was no challenge.

Ruby bounced up to her sister. "Hey Yang."

"Hey sis. Having fun?"

"For the most part." She didn't want Yang to know she had been fighting with Weiss again.

"So I'm the first person you ran into?" Yang was smiling. "I guess that makes us partners."

"Yeah! Well, you're the third but they were already partners. I'm glad of it though."

Yang was her partner. That was now in stone. If things went her way, her team would be her family and her family would be her team. She did need Yang's permission though.

"Well Ruby, we have relics to find. Forward!"

With a skip, Ruby fell into step next to her sister. They had been told that they needed to head north, but they weren't sure of the exact location. So, they did the natural thing and wandered aimlessly in that direction. Ruby could sense that Emery were that way as well.

"Yang, I was wondering…" How to put this? "Who else do you want on your team?"

"That's the fun part, Ruby. It's a mystery."

"But what if it's not? What if we could pick?"

Yang stopped and looked at her. Ruby couldn't keep still under her gaze.

"…You want to be with them, don't you?"

"Err, well…kinda? What's wrong with that?"

Yang sighed. "There's nothing wrong with that Ruby. It's just…well…I worry that you won't be making new friends at this school."

Ruby frowned. This had come up a lot recently. "I get what you're saying Yang, but…I don't need to be on someone's team to be friends with them. There's only four on a team anyway, I would still talk to other people even if they were strangers." That came out wrong.

But Yang seemed to relax a bit. She got her point. "You know we don't control who our other teammates are?"

"I can hope."

"Then we'll both keep our fingers crossed. Now, lead the way, Rubes."

Yang took that better than Ruby thought. She even gave her blessing. Now they just had to figure out exactly how the teams were formed. She felt a lot better now than she did when she was launched. There was a spring in her step as Ruby headed north.

No Grimm bothered them.

"I wonder what it's going to be like at a boarding school," Ruby mused. She was used to home and school being two very different buildings. This was going to be interesting.

"Fun." Yang shrugged with a very large grin. "You worry too much Ruby. Just relax and enjoy. It'll be great."

"Yeah, but I didn't get to bring my friends with me." That was still a disappointment.

"You'll have new ones before you know it. A new school is all about new experiences. Jaune and Blake seem to like you."

"Blake doesn't like me," Ruby corrected as she thought about it. "She just doesn't dislike me." She was glad for that.

"That's part of the experience. Besides, a lot of my friends aren't here either and somehow Daisy managed to get in."

Ruby groaned. "We've got to put up with her for another four years?" Even though she must have a lot of skill to get into Beacon, she was someone Ruby did not want on her team at all. They would argue daily.

"We're probably going to see her in classes," Yang agreed with an annoying smile. "Still, there's a lot of people who don't know anyone here."

"Yeah." That was a relief.

However, none of them had skipped ahead two years. Hopefully, that wouldn't be an issue.

* * *

It was very easy to find Mercury and avoid all the other students. Very few people looked up and Emerald had learned how to hide herself in the trees. Very useful for not accidentally getting in Mercury's way when he was fighting Grimm in Patch.

Emerald did pass over two people, but they didn't see her. She didn't recognise them, but she didn't care. They weren't who she was looking for.

Mercury, being Mercury, had managed to get into a fight very soon after landing. It had been with Grimm, so it didn't last long. He didn't toy with them the same way he did with the jerk before. There was no point. He also didn't use any Dust rounds as he didn't want to attract anyone's attention.

He smiled when he saw her. Not a cocky smirk he would show nearly everyone else. A genuine smile.

They had then had a choice. Ruby was south; the wrong way they needed to go. There was no discussion and both headed back towards her. They weren't the slightest bit interested in grades.

It wasn't Ruby they came across first.

Oddly, while outwards he appeared fine, Mercury didn't like one or both of these two very much. She wasn't sure which. Emerald thought back, but couldn't think of a time they'd interacted. Maybe it was paranoia or maybe it was something that he himself hadn't figured out. She would ask him afterwards.

"Isn't north that way?" the boy asked, pointing past them. Open turtleneck, designer jeans and a three pronged sword with the blades separating too low down to be called a trident. He was a target Emerald wouldn't have tried to pick-pocket, as he probably carried card and not cash.

"Yep." Never let it be said Mercury had social skills.

"Great. For a minute there, I thought we were heading the wrong way."

The girl was the same one that Ruby had pointed out in the auditorium had helped her out with spoilt brat. "Why are you going this way if we need to go that way?"

"We're looking for a friend." Better for Emerald to take over before Mercury (accidentally or otherwise) started a fight. "We saw her land quite far back."

"That's understandable."

"Want help looking for her?" The male stranger gave the offer and she didn't correct him.

"No thanks," Mercury responded. "She's fine on her own."

"Right. We'll see you around. I'm Zephyr by the way. This is Blake."

"A pleasure," Emerald smiled. "Emerald and Mercury."

Blake smiled while Zephyr gave a brief bow. Then they walked past. Neither of them spared a glance back. The two parties were out of sight of one another rather quickly.

A few more minutes and they were out of hearing range.

"Okay, what was it?"

Mercury shrugged, but he was frowning. "I'm not sure. Yesterday, Zephyr spent a lot of time watching other students, though that could be due to him trying to find a good teammate."

"We were doing the same," Emerald nodded.

"Exactly. Blake…Something strikes me as familiar. I don't know what. That was only today though." He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. Zephyr reminds me of a snake, you know? You see the head and don't notice how long the rest of the body is."

She did know people like that, but Zephyr didn't strike her as one of them. There was nothing that rang alarm bells. "I think you're seeing things that aren't there." He was distrustful of everyone at first and it wasn't surprising if he was being too paranoid.

"Probably."

That was easy.

They didn't come across any other Grimm. Emerald looked around, quite liking the forest. At the moment, it was peaceful and it was nice to be out of the crowd again. She got the feeling time spent alone was going to decrease a lot, even more depending on who was on her team. Mercury definitely was and she couldn't be happier with that. Not even Ruby understood her the way he did.

She was trying hard to though.

What Emerald saw next made her groan. "Gits at one o'clock."

"I see them. How do you want to do this? I can put him in his place again."

"I'm fairly certain it's not going to go over well with anyone that he gets killed by a Grimm because you flattened him." The idea was tempting though. "I really don't want to deal with this right now. I'll just trick him."

"And his partner?"

She winced. "Him too." This headache was going to be less than the one she would have gotten from interacting with them. She was certain of that.

"If you're sure…" Mercury didn't sound convinced.

The two stopped and waited for the other pair to pass by. It was easier on her if there was less to manipulate, so Emerald had no need to mess with their sense of hearing as there was nothing for them to hear. They were arguing rather loudly, paying no attention to their surroundings.

Which is probably why Mercury suddenly decided to howl like a Beowolf.

They jumped about a foot. Their weapons were drawn far too slowly to be saved if a Beowolf had been standing where Mercury was.

It was very hard to hide her laughter.

Grumbling, they were finally out of sight.

Emerald heard Mercury chuckle. She thought a few might have escaped her as well. Right now, the pounding in her head demanded her full attention. Rubbing her temples was a habit; it didn't help.

She did feel his hands on her shoulders, slowly but firmly moving in a massage. That did help, strangely.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Is it getting easier or more painful?"

"Neither. It's still the same." In this case, it didn't look like practice made perfect, but Emerald avoided manipulating two minds as often as she could. Practice may help with the pain; it may not. Right now, she didn't care.

"Well, I know something that'll cheer you up."

"Hmm?"

She followed his gaze to see Ruby skidding to a stop opposite her, with a smile on her face. Yang wasn't too far behind her.

Yang looked around. "I was expecting something with more claws."

Emerald pointed a thumb over her shoulder at her friend, who was still pampering her. "That was him."

"Why?"

Mercury shrugged and was probably smiling as he told the story.

It was like they had never left Patch. Emerald liked that.

* * *

There had been a reason why Yang had caved so easily to Ruby's wish for her teammates: she wanted them on her team as well. They would struggle to make friends in a way Ruby wouldn't, but she wanted them to have somewhere they could feel safe, especially at the beginning of the year when they didn't know anyone.

Yang had been one of the first to wake up that day and could see Mercury hadn't slept at all. While it wasn't slowing him down, she did care about him. He was family. That point had been driven home when he had been kidnapped.

He had picked them over his old life, even though he thought it would kill him.

They were a good laugh, if they allowed you to know it. Mercury's little act when he was 'invisible' was pretty funny, especially if the jerks had reacted the way they said. They certainly deserved it.

Besides, it was a big school. There were plenty of students around. There were some people that would tolerate them. Who did she know at this school anyway?

Jaune, already a good friend of Ruby's. Pyrrha. Weiss, Ruby's negative friend. Blake. Melody. Zephyr. George. Violet. Daisy, who they wouldn't like. That left eleven people they had yet to meet.

"Okay it did not happen that way."

"You misjudged your new legs and ended up skidding into the mud," Emerald chuckled.

"Then you slid through that bramble," Ruby tagged on.

"Then you fell into the leaf litter," Emerald finished. Both the girls were sniggering while Mercury pouted.

"Where was I during all this?" If she knew about that, Yang would never had let him live it down. She had made a point to try and be around when he learned to walk on his new legs. He had made a new-born fawn look graceful.

"Well sis, you remember you went shopping with Dad after we used the last of the scotch tape making funny faces?"

Yang thought back. Now that Ruby mentioned it, she did remember. Also… "Wasn't it raining that day?"

Their sniggering turned into full blown laughter.

This was why Yang didn't want to split them up. The four of them were a family; connected through love and friendship. She didn't really want anything to destroy this scene and she didn't like the idea of a stranger coming into it.

Yang wanted new friends, but she was with Ruby in keeping their family together.

A circle of rubble lay in their path, with something on little pedestals. Yang wasn't sure what she was expecting for relics (something ancient at least), but chess pieces? It seemed like an odd choice. She counted 5, both white and black.

"Looks like we weren't the first ones here," Yang observed.

"I would be surprised if we were," Mercury commented. He had passed at least two pairs earlier after all.

"So how does this work?" Ruby stepped up to the pedestals. "I don't see a pattern."

"I do."

Yang looked at Mercury. Then she scanned the pieces again. Her eyes went back to him. "Nope."

Mercury stepped up and gestured to the lone white bishop. "If you count them, there's two of each, though most of them are missing. My guess: if two pairs grab the same piece, say both grab a white bishop, they'll be a team."

That made sense.

"Right." Ruby walked over to a white pawn and picked it up. "That makes it easy then."

The white pawn was the only piece that there was still a pair of. That make Ruby's wish crystal clear and she usually got what she wished for. That was something everyone else in the house agreed on.

At first, they didn't move.

"You sure about this Ruby?" Despite what they wanted, they always put Ruby first. Emerald was normally the one to say it. Mercury was a person of action.

"We came as a family. I want to stay as a family."

No more needed to be said on the matter.

Yang smiled as Mercury picked up the other white pawn, letting his happiness show. If he was right, all four had gotten what they wanted. If he was wrong, it wasn't the end of the world.

She hoped he wasn't wrong.

* * *

"How on Remnant did you manage to annoy a Death Stalker?"

Leaving the mini temple, they headed further north and had come across a much bigger version. They had also run straight into a fight. Jaune, Pyrrha, Melody and Weiss vs a Death Stalker.

At the moment, the Death Stalker was winning.

Never one to pass up a good fight, Mercury chose to join in. Before he could though, he caught swift movement elsewhere other than in front of him. As the scorpion was distracted, he took a look. There was a more immediate danger.

"On the right!"

Emerald dodged. Ruby dodged. Yang spun to meet it.

And was knocked over by an Ursa that had smashed into her.

 _That might leave a mark._

With red eyes, Yang smashed it into a pulp, wasting a lot of rounds on the thing. "Alright, who's next?"

Mercury's gaze snapped back to the direction the Ursa came from. That was when he realised they had a much, much bigger problem. "How about a Grimm that could easily beat you in an arm wrestling contest?"

He was staring at a kind of Grimm he had never seen before and had to admit: he was very impressed. Humanoid; it could obviously stand on two legs and throw other Grimm at them. It was a bodybuilder taken to the extreme, with muscles on muscles and probably about as tall as all four of them combined. It could easily crush any of them in its fist. Unlike a human, he could see it could run on four legs if it wanted to.

 _This is going to be fun._

It was currently using the full size temple as a climbing frame. When it was standing on the highest point, it grabbed a very young Nevermore out of the air and threw it like an arrow. That was easy enough to dodge, but there was now an entire flock of small Nevermore and each one was sent shooting in their direction. It went from easy to dodge to borderline difficult.

Mercury was certainly enjoying himself.

Eventually, it ran out of nearby Grimm to throw at them.

As a result, its claw wrapped around a column nearby (one that was not supporting the structure), pulled it out of the ground and threw that at them.

Blasts rang as all four chipped away at the brick until it broke up into much smaller pieces. Those were avoided and the process was repeated for a second column that was thrown in their direction. Then, they got their opening.

Their blasts may not be coordinated, but they were aiming for quantity over quality.

None of their attacks seemed to be doing much damage. They were quite far away and, while this wasn't a problem for Crescent Rose's sniper rifle, Mercury and Yang were melee fighters. Even Emerald had to be closer.

So Ruby aimed for the eyes as the three headed forward. It was little more than an annoyance to the beast, but it certainly made it ignore the rest of the group.

Emerald landed on one of remaining columns and tried her luck from there.

Mercury and Yang went even closer.

It took a swipe at him. With aid from a Dust round, he leapt high enough and landed on the arm as it returned to its original position. Wasting no time, he ran straight for the head. Yang bounced from one of its knees and landed on the shoulder.

Mercury managed to get in six point blank Dust rounds to the face along with Yang's seven before it shook its head vigorously and its free arm swung towards him. Knowing they'd overstayed their welcome, they bolted over to the other shoulder, skidding under the punch that would have easily taken his head off as Yang hopped over it.

Its response was to move around its climbing frame and try to hit him on the way down. It didn't succeed.

However, their attack seemed to do nothing. The other two weren't having any better luck.

 _Finally. A decent opponent. This school might not be as boring as I thought._

At least they didn't have to worry about the Death Stalker as well. That was completely focused on the other group.

"This is getting annoying," Emerald commented. He didn't think she had ever fought any older Grimm before, never mind something like this. All the ones around Patch had been very young. The ones that loitered around Marcus' house had been much older and tougher. None had looked like that though.

"I'm open to ideas," Mercury responded, finally out of immediate range.

They shot down yet another pillar. It was now down to three it could throw at them.

"I've got one," Ruby called back.

Mercury smiled.

* * *

The Death Stalker was taking everything they could throw at it. It just kept coming.

"Okay, attacking the armour is useless. Melody, we're going to distract it. Pyrrha, get that stinger. Weiss, aim for the eyes."

Melody had learnt very quickly that Jaune didn't seem to have much experience in combat. He was managing to protect himself fine, but it was clear he was an amateur. That made his ability to stay alive even more impressive actually. However, he did have a tactical mind. That plan would, at the very least, cripple the monster.

Melody was very glad she wasn't facing this thing on her own.

"Don't tell me-"

"Weiss, shut up and do it." She was getting very annoyed at her partner. If the plan was stupid, Melody probably would agree with her. However, as it was smart and nothing they were doing was working, it was worth a try.

Besides, she wasn't even going to be in the most danger.

Jaune was.

It wasn't just from the Death Stalker's pincers and sting until Pyrrha dealt with that. It was that her weapon (Hydra) was built for massive damage over a large range. It would be very easy to hit him with one of the cannon blasts or the three whips. She hadn't perfected using the whips simultaneously, so she decided to use the combined one.

Jaune used his shield to block one pincer. Melody spun and twisted, causing the thick whip to wrap around the other, not allowing it to open. That gave Weiss and Pyrrha the chance they needed.

Three eyes down in as many seconds. Another two were swiftly pierced.

Pyrrha took a little longer, but she wisely kept her distance. The shots were perfectly aimed at the bulb underneath the stinger. Once the damage was visible, she threw her shield and sliced straight through the weapon.

Despite being half blind and partially stabbed by its own body part, the Grimm still didn't give up.

 _What does it take to kill this thing?_

It jerked one pincer up and the other clipped the whip.

In an instant, Melody was sailing through the air. Then she plummeted. She couldn't see the bottom of the ravine, but she did see a load of bricks falling. Not thinking on why, she changed Hydra back into its cannon mode, with one being much shorter than the other two. The bricks became platforms that she could blast and use the recoil to get back up again.

Death had never seemed so close.

She needed time and materials to repair Hydra back to full condition. Right now, it wasn't vital provided she kept that fact in mind.

Melody took a second after she landed to catch her breath. That had been a far too close call.

Jaune was the first to see her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." By the time she was back in the battle, Weiss had taken out the remaining eyes. "How are we doing?"

"Quite well, actually. You mind smashing that stinger straight through it?"

That was when it fully clicked for Melody that the stinger had pierced the armour, something none of their weapons had been able to do. While she didn't like the idea of getting that close, she also knew that was their best shot.

"I'm going to need a lift." In its damaged state, Hydra couldn't give her the help she needed there.

"Pyrrha?"

"Done."

"Weiss, protect her!"

The launch wasn't very high, but it was high enough. Weiss hadn't argued with Jaune for once and, between the two of them, they managed to prevent the Grimm from taking her head off. It must have heard her coming.

Melody aimed nine shots at the stinger when she was in range. Five of them hit and did the job. She landed and nearly collapsed.

The Death Stalker screeched and the legs gave out. The remaining tail hit the floor.

Finally, their fight was over.

* * *

Yang was powerful, but not fast. She got stronger as she took more damage. She was short range.

Mercury was powerful and fast. He had been trained to fight humanoid shapes. He was short range.

Emerald was fast, but not powerful. She was designed for stealth. She wasn't specialised for long or short range.

Ruby was fast, but not powerful. She was built for agility. She wasn't specialised for long or short range.

All four had advantages and disadvantages. The trick was working together in a way that eliminated those weaknesses and their opponent. They had the trust in one another to make a plan work.

Yang and Mercury ran in close once more.

One after another, all three columns were thrown at them. They didn't flinch; didn't change path.

Ruby and Emerald aimed at very specific locations. Rather than target the whole thing, they both hit the same part of each structure. The cracks grew and quickly split the construction in half, missing the running pair.

Once the columns were destroyed and lying in pieces on the ground, Emerald ran towards their opponent as well. Ruby followed at a slower pace.

Yang went for the chest area. Mercury went for the head and neck. After a few good hits, including one that made its head jerk back, he retreated. Yang continued attacking.

When Mercury hit the ground, he curled up and rolled backwards.

At the right moment, he halted his spin while on his back. Without missing a beat, Emerald jumped on his feet and he used the momentum to kick her up into the air, slightly aided by shots from her weapons.

The chains extended and wrapped around a Grimm arm each. Emerald had been launched high enough to soar over its head. As she did so, the chains temporarily pulled the arms back.

Mercury's roll continued. A few seconds later, Ruby used his energy and her bullet to fly through the air as well. She didn't go as high.

Crescent Rose's blade caught the neck perfectly. Ruby was swung around a full rotation before the connection was severed completely. Blood spattered the air as the head dropped from the body.

Emerald landed on top of the cliff. Ruby's trajectory would have taken her into the side of the cliff. The chains extended once more and wrapped around her. She was carefully pulled up to the top.

Trust.

Ruby smiled.

They were a team, they were a family and they were ready to take on the world.

* * *

"Ruby Rose, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and Yang Xiao Long. From this day forth you will work together as team Remedy. Lead by Ruby Rose."

This year was going to be a very interesting year.

* * *

 **AN: Naturally, there are going to be OC's in this fic. Some are relevant to the plot, some are just to make up the numbers. There is also a good reason I put the canon characters in the teams they are in. As for the Grimm RMEY fought, think of a much bigger gorilla than in the volume 4 trailer that looks awesome.**

 **RMEY (Remedy)**

 **ZBRN (Zebrina): Zephyr, Blake, Ren, Nora**

 **CRDL (Cardinal)**

 **JWMP (Jump): Jaune, Weiss, Melody, Pyrrha**

 **SVDG (Selvedge): Sawyer, Violet, Daisy, George**

 **HION (Horizon): Holly, Ida, Opal, Nettle**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	11. First Day at Beacon

**AN: In no way am I associated with RWBY**

* * *

Normally, Mercury was the first one up in the house as he had the habit of getting up at around dawn.

This particular morning, he had woken up about an hour after sunrise and was surprised to find Ruby already awake. She was usually a heavy sleeper, but she did get up at a good hour. He could count on one hand how many times she had been up before him and still have fingers left over.

Then again, she was obviously too excited to get much sleep. She was practically bouncing off the walls. Which meant he wasn't returning to slumber. With a shrug, he pulled himself out of the surprisingly comfortable bed. As all of them got up at different times, there had never been a fight for the shower.

Mercury was overjoyed with the fact that the people he was stuck with were the family. With that thought though came something else. A frown. The odds of all four of them ending up on the same team weren't good. It had to be close to impossible.

Had that been rigged somehow? There had only been two pawns when there had been four bishops and four knights. There had also only been two rooks. There was no way to control which pair took which piece though, unless you had a Semblance like Emerald's. Still, he was sure it wasn't a coincidence.

Ozpin had obviously got a lot of information from Qrow. In fact, he was probably his source on the Animin bond specifics to begin with. If anyone had the medical resources Mercury needed, it would be Ozpin. If nothing else, he was an experiment in case that mark or black Dust appeared again.

Cinder had loathed Ozpin, but had said he was influential. Mercury wondered if part of that loathing came from fear. That was some protection from her.

It didn't matter to him. He had been born to be manipulated; to be a pawn on a chessboard. What was the difference between Cinder and Ozpin in the end?

Ruby, oddly enough, was sitting on his bed when he returned to the bedroom.

In no one's world would she ever be a pawn.

Mercury managed to flop back on the bed without hitting her. "So, fearless leader, what's on the agenda for today?"

She giggled. "Well, we only have two classes today. Grimm Studies with Professor Port at nine and Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch at three."

"Sounds fun." Not. He didn't know which would be worse.

Ruby hummed and, to his astonishment, lay down next to him. She was still smiling, but it wasn't the same as the one she had had when he woke up. A quick glance up showed Emerald and Yang were still asleep.

When Ruby herself looked over at them, he knew she was going to ask something she wanted a serious answer to. He never liked that, but he had promised himself not to lie to her. "Mercury, would you have come to Beacon at all if I didn't?"

Would he? He had honestly never thought about it. "My entire childhood was training to be an assassin. What am I supposed to do with those skills? Especially with what I did under a contract; I'm going to be watched the rest of my life. At best."

Emerald had told him she had the same problem. They didn't have the mind-set to protect the people that had failed them. Mercury was understandable; Marcus' house had been very isolated and his interaction with other people had been very limited. It had taken a miracle to save him. Emerald was very different; anyone could have found her and taken her in before Cinder. People were just ignorant. From their experiences, they weren't Huntsman or Huntress material.

Ruby gently rubbed his arm. "Uncle Qrow said that Huntsman can choose their own missions. Isn't that freedom?"

Mercury thought about the Huntsmen in Atlas. Most of them were part of the military. That certainly wasn't freedom.

"Do you know the difference between a Huntsman and a mercenary?"

"One wants money and the other defends the people?"

"Exactly. So which one do you think I am?"

For a while, the only sound was steady breathing. Ruby's arm didn't stop moving. She was trying to comfort him, but she wasn't afraid of him despite his words. Trained to be a killer for as long as he could remember. Eventually, her fingers moved up his chest and touched the cufflink on his collar.

"I think neither. I think you would fight hard to protect those you care about. You really care about us."

Mercury hummed. His hand came up and absentmindedly patted her head. "That so?"

"Yeah." Ruby pouted and moved his arm so it was wrapped around her. He chuckled. "You're also mean."

"That's the idea Ruby," he responded cheerfully.

She giggled and looked around the room. It was already personalised as the girls had unpacked fully the night before. Mercury had only brought clothes and a few tools, so he had snagged a bed first and watched with amusement as they decorated around him, making no effort to help when Yang had pushed his bed with him on it against the wall to make room.

"Say Merc, what do you think about bunk beds?"

He was quite used to her going from solemn to random. He preferred her friendly and not entirely serious. Solemn didn't really suit her. "Bunk beds? Why?"

"Why not?"

Well, when she put it that way… "And how do you intend to make bunk beds?" There wasn't a slot to fit the legs of the bed into.

"Oh that's easy." Again, she looked over at the other two. "Let's get them up."

Mercury didn't bother to argue. He pointed over to the stereo Yang had somehow managed to get into the school. "I'll shake Emerald awake. Find some music Yang hates." Emerald was a light sleeper; Yang wasn't.

With an almost evil grin, Ruby immediately dived into her music collection.

Naturally, Emerald's bed was closest to his. He gently shook her shoulder. "Probably a good idea to wake up now Em."

She moaned and knocked his hand off. "Five more minutes."

His eyes went back to Ruby as she dashed towards the stereo. "I don't think you have five seconds."

Emerald blinked up at him, then followed his gaze and sighed at the sight. She didn't bother to complain, merely yawned and shoved the covers back. She managed to slip into the bathroom just as the first beat started.

Yang literally fell out of bed. She glared at the two that were still in the room. "Okay, whose idea was that?"

Both Ruby and Mercury pointed at one another. Yang narrowed her eyes, but eventually shrugged and stretched. She knew that there was no way to know which was responsible as Mercury and Emerald had originally learnt that behaviour from Ruby.

Her bad mood was gone the instant Ruby used the term 'bunk beds'. The sisters then did all the work, allowing Emerald and Mercury to stand out of the way and provide an opinion on whether the bed was wonky. Yang was atrocious at keeping the frames straight. Ruby had just decided to borrow one of Mercury's screwdrivers and put some hooks in the ceiling (he had no idea where she got them) so she could hang ropes for her bed. That must have taken quite a bit of aura. Yang had settled for superglue that he was very sure wouldn't hold.

 _Hope the school doesn't sue us for damage to property._

Then again, it was a combat school. If Ruby didn't get in trouble for blowing up the courtyard, then the staff probably didn't care about an easily fixed hole in the ceiling. Things must get destroyed around Beacon all the time.

Mercury was still chuckling at Yang's reaction to her rude awakening as they headed to class.

* * *

Ruby tried. She honestly did.

But the lecture was so boring.

Her family weren't doing much better. Yang was doodling, Emerald looked like she was about to nod off and Mercury was ignoring the professor completely, casting his gaze around the room.

She gave him a nudge and scribbled in her notebook. 'Are you listening?'

[No. He's too dull to listen to. Were classes at Signal like this?]

'Some classes were more boring than others.' None had been this bad though. At least, none of the lessons she could remember. Some topics had been forgotten the second she left the classroom and sometimes before that.

[He should just let us loose in Emerald Forest and give us grades based on how many Grimm we kill and what they were.]

Ruby smiled. 'I don't think six teachers are going to be free at the same time.'

[Pity.] He looked like he meant it. Ruby sniggered. She did like having Crescent Rose do the talking for her. [Snow brat's looking a little angry.]

 _Huh?_

Ruby glanced over to see Weiss scowling for some reason. What was bothering her? She had managed to get on the same team as Pyrrha, which was what she wanted. Melody and Jaune were good people too. Those three at least were either smiling or looking bored.

"Now, do we have any volunteers?" For some reason, Professor Port was searching the room expectantly.

"I will." What was Weiss volunteering for?

[What would be growling and shaking a crate in a Grimm Studies class, Ruby?]

Ruby turned her attention to the front again and spotted the crate that she was sure hadn't been in the room at the beginning of the lecture. Had the Professor really brought a Grimm into the classroom? When did he do that?

Weiss' Semblance was awesome. Ruby hadn't had time to notice it in Emerald Forest, but she wished she had. Those symbols could make platforms, could be used as a shield, speed her up and who knew what else.

Ruby didn't recognise the Grimm. It was very different from Beowolves and Ursa. Cool tusks.

"There's no armour underneath," Ruby noted quietly. She would have flipped it over and stabbed the stomach.

Weiss did that about three minutes later.

The class cheered, with JMP being the loudest. Emery remained quiet. For some reason, Weiss still didn't seem happy. If anything she seemed angrier.

"Excellent! Excellent! We really are in the presence of a Huntress in training."

Mercury snorted. Ruby frowned at him and he shrugged. Emerald rolled her eyes and followed Yang out of the row. Ideas ran through Ruby's mind and she decided to offer a game of Conquering Remnant somewhere. They should be able to finish a game before their next class, even with stopping for lunch. Maybe she could ask another team if they wanted to play as well, if the others were okay with that.

Ruby stumbled as Emerald suddenly pulled her towards her and caught her before she fell. Ruby opened her mouth to ask what she was doing when Weiss stomped past the spot she had been standing in only a moment ago, not even sparing a glance at the girl she almost crashed into.

"Sheesh. What's her problem?" Mercury asked, crossing his arms.

"Who cares?" Emerald responded. She let go of Ruby, who smiled in thanks.

"It is the first day," Yang pointed out. "Maybe she's having problems."

Emerald didn't say what was on her mind, but Ruby could guess it would be something along the lines of a sarcastic 'can't imagine why'. There was no point pushing the topic further so she didn't. The four slowly headed to the door.

"So…Is anyone up for a game?" Ruby asked.

"Sounds good," Emerald agreed. "Who else is playing?"

Ruby shrugged, wondering the real reason she was asking. "Anyone who wants to."

"Fair enough."

Once the four were back in the corridor, they found Jaune standing around looking upset while Melody and Pyrrha looked furious. Weiss was nowhere to be seen. Were there problems between their teammates?

"Hey Jaune."

"Hey Ruby." He didn't even try to smile.

"Team troubles?" Yang asked sympathetically. Ruby remembered the problems they had when Emery first came home. It had taken quite a while for them to relax completely around each other.

"It'll work out." He muttered something Ruby didn't catch.

Mercury did. "'Eventually'? That confident are you?"

"That's enough," Melody cut in. Jaune hadn't taken Mercury's words well. She turned to her leader. "I'll go talk to her. She was my partner in the forest."

"Do you think I should speak with her?" Pyrrha asked. She seemed torn between annoyance and concern.

"Definitely not." Melody smiled at RMEY. "Good to see you." She turned and ran around the corner, probably following Weiss.

"Is there something we can help with?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha shook her head. "Sorry Ruby. I think this is something we have to work out within the team. These things sometimes happen when people don't know each other."

"Yeah. Well, we were going to find somewhere to play Conquering Remnant, if you want to join in?"

"Uh…No thanks Ruby." Something was really bothering Jaune. He was very depressed. "I've…I've got some thinking to do."

"Oh." She couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Maybe next time…?"

"Yeah, sure."

Jaune nodded and walked past them, shoulders slumped. Pyrrha gave them a small smile and followed her leader. Their group was left alone in the corridor.

"Wonder what happened?" Yang mused as they headed deeper into the school.

Mercury shrugged, obviously not caring. Ruby knew that there could be trouble within the team when first formed, but they had killed a Death Stalker together. What problem could they be having?

"Who knows?" Emerald didn't seem bother either. "So are we still playing or do you want to mingle?"

"Let's play," Ruby nodded. "Let's find somewhere."

* * *

"In this class, we will aid in your personal fighting style and also communication between team members. You may be alone when you encounter Grimm or you may be with others, Huntsman or civilian. Both situations can alter your fighting technique."

This was the class Emerald was most unsure about. Combat class. How much of her strength did she show? She had no intention to use her Semblance or attempt to use Maiden power either. How high in the class did she want to be?

"If there are no civilians nearby and the area isolated, then more aggressive tactics are allowed and even advised, as long as there isn't too much damage done. If there are civilians nearby, then a more defensive stance is used."

 _So she's saying if there's civilians, be careful but if there's no one, go crazy._

Emerald noted there was no mention of fighting people.

Then Goodwitch asked for a primarily defender and a primarily attacker. She got Cardin for an attacker and Sawyer as a defender. Cardin was built for heavy damage with armour covering him almost completely while Sawyer only wore armour to cover the arms and legs. He also had small shields on both his forearms with no other weapons visible.

Both were leaders. Emerald had seen two of them on Cardin's team soon after her landing in the forest when heading to Mercury and two of the ones on Sawyer's team were the one's Mercury had pulled that trick on. Yang whispered to her that the girl's name was Daisy who they knew from Signal.

This should be interesting.

"Anyone who sends someone to the infirmary will be in detention."

 _Whatever._

Cardin's strategy was the same as Yang's default: attack head on. Sawyer's was more calculated; he alternated which shield he used to block and pushed back slightly each time. He had to have something in mind and it wasn't just aggravating Cardin.

Whatever it was, Emerald couldn't see it.

"Any ideas?" she murmured to Mercury next to her.

"Look at the board."

With a frown she did so. To her surprise, for some reason, Cardin's aura was lower than Sawyer's, despite the fact Sawyer had yet to land a proper hit.

Every time Cardin hit him, Sawyer's aura dropped a tiny amount. Each time Sawyer pushed back, Cardin's dropped by twice that amount.

No, that wasn't quite it.

Emerald focused. There was a gap. A tiny gap, less than half a second, but there was a gap. It wasn't the push back that was causing his aura to drop. It was happening before. So what was causing it? A Semblance?

That time it was when the mace hit the shield. The weapon could be causing it, if whatever it was doing had a delay.

How had Cardin not noticed his aura level dropping? Surely he would notice that he was taking more damage than he should. He didn't appear to be angry enough for his mind to be clouded by rage. So was he that ignorant?

Then Emerald remembered Mercury saying most people weren't completely in tune with their aura. If someone like Ruby wasn't until she started practicing and meditating, then most students in this school were probably the same.

Cardin put a lot more power in that swing. Sawyer ducked for once and used the shields like blades to swipe at him again and again. Soon, Cardin's aura was in the red and the match was over.

"Congratulations Mr Everwood." Sawyer nodded and happily returned to his seat. Cardin was scowling, but also headed back. "Defenders can bide their time and wait for the opportunity to attack while wearing down their opponent. Attackers can overpower their opponents and end a fight quickly. The strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses have a powerful balance of attack and defence."

The next ones to fight were Pyrrha and a girl that Emerald had only seen in the ballroom and on the cliff: Ida. Team JWMP still seemed to be having problems. Maybe Goodwitch wasn't going to pit teammates against each other. It would be a disastrous idea for the first few weeks.

This fight had a much quicker pace. Pyrrha had a spear/rifle and a shield. Ida used two Sai, according to Mercury. Both used very swift movements and had very different strategies. Pyrrha remained at a distance and relied on shots along with the spear. She was making sure Ida couldn't get close enough to use her weapons.

In return, Ida was very fast on her feet. She never stayed in one place for too long, but didn't seem to be able to get in close. Unless she changed her strategy, she was going to lose quite badly.

Ida pushed the handles of the Sais together and twisted them, probably to lock it. The side blades of both then dropped 90 degrees. With the handle of the weapon now in the centre, Ida spun it and a square of bullets left the four new barrels.

Pyrrha merely blocked them with her shield. Due to its shape, she could still fire over the top and she ran towards Ida. Ida didn't react in time and, for the first time, Pyrrha used the spear in a combo and knocked her opponent's aura into the red.

"Congratulations Miss Nikos."

Pyrrha was a champion fighter. It would be odd if she suddenly couldn't win. Emerald didn't have that pressure. She still wasn't going to fight unless she was specifically named, but she thought she knew where she wanted to measure in this class.

No Semblance appeared to have been used in either fight.

Emerald listened to the following lecture carefully. This class was mostly fights between participants (both team and individual) and there would be notes on what each participant did well and what could be improved (she had seen a lot of possible improvements). There would be some strategies that worked well on Grimm and others that would not. Rather than the flashy actions that children were fond of, they would be encouraged to use manoeuvers that were more practical.

There was no mention of manipulating aura. Qrow did say those lessons came in the final year of Beacon.

"That's it for today. Class dismissed."

This classroom emptied faster than Port's, probably because it was the last one of the day. Emerald had checked their schedule and had seen that they only had about two or three lectures a day this week and over twice that many next week and for the rest of the term. Maybe that was for the new teams to get used to one another and get over any problems they had.

Such as JWMP for example. There had also been some snappy remarks between members of SVDG.

 _Then again, Mercury had come pretty close to killing or at least seriously injuring Yang that day…Probably is a good idea to have an easy week._

Though 'easy' probably had a different definition to these idiots.

"You know, I think I'm going to like that class," was Yang's joyful assessment.

Privately Emerald agreed with her, but for a different reason. There had been a lot of mistakes there and the whole thing seemed tame. These kids knew how to spar, not fight. It was actually rather amusing to watch.

"Yep! A lot of different weapons, a lot of different fighting styles and a lot of new challenges." Ruby was excited at least. Emerald was looking forward to her beating all those kids who weren't happy she had gotten in two years early. She doubted anything else would shut them up and was very glad Ruby wasn't on the same team as any of the girls of HION.

Their jeering and taunting of another girl sent alarm bells ringing.

Emerald still remembered one particular incident she had watched when she was around nine or ten. Some girls could be vicious and that team reminded her greatly of those teenage killers, especially as their motive had been one of them stealing the other's boyfriend. Given their words at the time, Emerald later wondered if that affair had been staged.

It was probably the same paranoia that Mercury had towards Zephyr and Blake. Still, the farther Ruby and Yang stayed away from that group, the better. So far, they hadn't interacted.

Emerald let out a low breath. She wasn't on the streets; she was in a school. There wouldn't be any of those kinds here.

 _Ozpin let you in and you tried to rip out a kind woman's soul._

Emerald told the traitorous voice to shut up. This wasn't her old life, where everyone she met was a deadly enemy. Ruby had been safe at Patch and she would be safe in Beacon. Ruby's life didn't have that kind of darkness.

"You two are awfully quiet."

Emerald snapped back to reality at Yang's voice. "Hmm?"

"Something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Emerald had no idea where they were. Obviously they were on a tour of the school and she had missing their entire conversation. The group were alone, with no one else in sight and no corners to hide behind.

Ruby frowned. "If it's bothering you, it's not nothing." Her eyes flickered between Emerald and Mercury. "Do you want to go back to the dorm?"

 _Somewhere where it was just the family._

Emerald forced a smile, the doubts fading from her mind. "Like I said, it's nothing." Then she realised what Yang said. Her eyes found Mercury. He looked fine. That meant nothing.

Yang sighed and also turned to Mercury. "Are you going to lie as well?"

"Yep." He didn't even try to deny it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

No surprise there. Emerald shook her head slightly and glanced around again. "Where are we?"

Unlike her, Mercury had been paying attention to where he was going. "We just passed the library. I think we decided the infirmary was down this way."

Infirmary. Black Dust and painful mark.

It clicked for all three girls what was bothering Mercury. Depending on the way the situation was looked at, it could be an offer for medical assistance or a trap to become nothing more than a test subject. How much faith did Mercury put into Ozpin's word?

Even if the offer was genuine, a lot could go wrong. Black Dust had never been seen before and possible treatments could hurt him.

"We can turn around, Merc," Ruby suggested quietly.

Mercury did look tempted for a moment, but with a sigh he shook his head. "Ignoring the problem isn't going to make it go away. I should at least talk to this doctor." He obviously didn't like this idea.

Emerald didn't either, but all of them agreed that whatever plan Cinder had for him was worse. That she hadn't cared about his horrific condition at the time was one of the main worries. The black Dust needed to be dealt with.

"It doesn't have to be done today." Yang was offering him a temporary out. The infirmary was going to be here all year.

"We're here now." Mercury's simple logic. It made Emerald smile.

Her hand slipped into his. "Do you want us to wait outside or inside?"

He gave a confident smile, but his hand squeezed hers. He was very uncertain. "Well, waiting outside is going to be very boring for you. Inside."

Inside. That meant he didn't mind that they heard about a possible weakness. That was a lot of trust.

The infirmary was interesting. It was a cross between a dorm and a hospital. It didn't have the same sterilized feel and was almost comfortable. There were no drugs bottles or anything else of the kind in sight. Still, there were eight beds and each had a cabinet next to them, along with separating curtains.

At the moment, there were no patients. There was another person though.

He was the kind of man that was difficult to read. He was of the age that was old, but impossible to tell how old. He wasn't dressed like a scientist, but wore the stereotypical lab coat over a non-smart suit. He was currently checking something in the cabinet in the far end. When he heard the door open, he placed the towel inside and turned to face them.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Dr Waterbrook. First years having a look around?"

"Partly." Mercury eyes remained focused on the man and not the room. "I'm here for a different reason."

"Ah. Mercury Black, is it?" A nod. "Your teammates?"

Mercury shrugged. "If I suddenly die in the middle of the night, they should know a reason why."

"That should not happen. As the condition is not currently vital, we can go slowly and carefully. For the moment, the first step would be to isolate the Dust and in order to do that-"

"You need my blood," Mercury cut in.

"Indeed. Would you be willing?"

He sighed. "Sure, what's one more needle? How much?"

"One vial would be enough. By separating the Dust, I can test what substances it does and doesn't react to. I will let you know my findings and we can go from there. Also, with your consent, I would like to see any previous medical reports you have."

All four frowned at that, but Mercury voiced it. "I thought you already had it."

"No. Unlike everyone else's, yours wasn't sent. When I contacted your guardian, I was told I would receive it only if you ended up in the infirmary for some unseen reason or if you gave your permission for me to read it."

So the doctor did know the meaning of privacy. Although, that did not sound like Taiyang. That was something Qrow would do. Was he registered as their guardian? He did understand their situation better than the rest of the family and had always given them options. On the other hand, Taiyang was her personal preferred adult, so maybe it was him as he was who she tended to be around more.

After Mercury had fully recovered, Qrow had asked her if she wanted to fetch her report from Coldhedge hospital from when she was stabbed. She hadn't as the only personal thing was malnutrition that was already being treated, so she assumed it automatically got sent here if Waterbrook had it.

Emerald had never seen Mercury's medical report. In honesty, she didn't want to. Both she and Ruby had tended to him when he was unconscious, so they had seen the injuries underneath the bandages. As Qrow had a scanner that assessed his internal condition, she would expect him to have the report. She just thought he would send it on. He hadn't.

This way, Mercury had the choice of whether or not to agree.

"I'll think on it."

Now though, Emerald was wondering if that report hid something else.

"It's your choice." The doctor disappeared for a moment into the back room, which looked like an office. Emerald recognised the needle as she had seen Qrow take blood from Mercury once, though that one had been thinner.

Mercury probably noticed. His eyes went from the needle to the doctor. After a moment, he took his left glove off and held out his arm. Emerald shifted as the doctor approached, but Ruby had took her hand behind Mercury's back and squeezed it gently. She relaxed a bit.

"Have you learned how to lower your aura shield?"

"Yes."

Yang had told Emerald that there was a wristband that could lower aura levels and effectively remove the shield and block the Semblance. Unlike the aura-suppressing collar, these didn't do long term damage if left on too long. These wristbands should only be found in hospitals and were not available anywhere, at least not legally.

Mercury didn't need it. He could lower his shield at will. Qrow and Taiyang could too, but they said they had only managed it after they left Beacon. When it came to aura control, Mercury was in a league of his own.

He didn't bleed when the needle was removed although there was a tiny red spot and calmly put the glove back on as if nothing happened. She could feel how tense he really was.

"What sort of tests do you do on Dust?"

"Dust can be affected by natural factors, such as fire and water. How the Dust reacts this, such as red Dust to water, can give suggestions on how to treat it if it gets in the bloodstream. Black Dust may react to light or it may ignore it. It may react to water or it may not. Most likely, it is different. It can also be exposed to known cures for other kinds of Dust."

"You can do all that with one vial?" Clearly Mercury wasn't willing to give another.

"Only one particle of Dust is necessary for these tests and their replicas to ensure the test results are reliable. In order for the Dust to be detectable, there must be millions of particles present."

Given how fine Dust was, that wasn't surprising.

"How long will these tests take?"

"There's no way to tell."

"Great. Are we done here?"

"Yes."

Emerald shared Mercury's relief when they finally left the room. So far, so good. They had known he would want a blood sample, but were expecting a long list of questions. That was better than they had thought. The sisters continued to walk back the way they came, so they followed.

Yang stretched, not a care in the world. "So, what's the plan? Back to the dorm or another game in the library or something else?"

"I'm up for another game," Mercury replied after a moment.

A few students not in their year passed by. They didn't suspect anything odd. They were living in a time of peace. To everyone else, they were just run of the mill students.

It would be some time until Emerald felt like one.

* * *

Jaune wandered the corridors aimlessly, paying no attention to where he was going. He had manged to convince Pyrrha to give him some space and she had finally done so. He didn't understand her faith in him.

There were fewer students this way. He wanted to be alone.

Jaune did get why Weiss was angry at him. He was their worst fighter by far and had been mostly useless to Pyrrha in the forest. He was the one who had angered the Death Stalker in the first place.

He hadn't even earned the right to be here. He had forged transcripts and had stolen the place of someone else. Someone who had worked hard to attend and was far more qualified. He could have destroyed someone else's dream.

Maybe Weiss was right. Maybe he didn't deserve to be here. He certainly didn't deserve the title of 'leader'.

He should go home. He shouldn't be here and his parents would welcome him back. He obviously didn't belong here. He wasn't a Huntsman and he was an idiot for thinking he could be. He would go tomorrow.

 _What do I tell Pyrrha and Melody?_

That made him pause. Pyrrha believed in him. Melody was willing to give him a chance.

 _They don't know about the forgery._

They would probably agree with Weiss. They would tell him to leave.

Jaune turned another corner and spotted someone he recognised in the hallway, taking something from a vending machine. That was Ruby's friend and teammate: Mercury. Jaune wasn't going to deny he was a little intimidated by Mercury, but he was an okay guy, if a little anti-social.

Mercury had glanced at him when he appeared, but seemed to dismiss him as he put a few lien into the machine and hit a few keys.

Jaune was strongly tempted to turn around and leave again. However, something inside him disagreed. Instead, he approached. He was a few feet away when he caught Mercury's attention again.

"You lost?" He sounded amused.

"No." _Yes._ "I wanted some time to myself."

Mercury shrugged and knelt down to retrieve another snack. He didn't say anything.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

Jaune took the mockery as a sign to continue. He just didn't know how to say this without it coming out wrong. "Does the fact Ruby's two years younger than you bother you? I mean…as a leader."

Mercury straightened with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously? It bothers you that much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Snow brat, idiot. The girl who seems to think snapping her fingers gets her whatever she wants and throws a temper tantrum when she doesn't get her way."

"You err…You heard that?" He didn't think her voice had been that loud. It was a bit embarrassing.

"Didn't need to. It was obvious she was angry and you were miserable." He put more lien in and hit a few more numbers. "We didn't need three guesses to know what happened."

Jaune agreed he had a point. Did he have the nerve to ask? "Do you agree?"

Mercury shrugged. "I don't know you." Again, he grabbed something from the slot at the bottom of the machine.

He sighed. This didn't make him feel better. It made him feel worse. "So Weiss was right."

A scoff. "She doesn't know you either. She's just angry that you're the leader and she's not. She would be angry if Melody got the title. That girl needs to learn she doesn't get everything she hasn't earned."

Hang on. "You think I earned the title?"

"Like I said, I don't know you. I know you're crap in battle, but it was your plan that took down the Death Stalker. There's…" He searched for the right word. "Potential." Once again, he turned away and put more money in.

"…Yeah?"

"Well, Melody and Pyrrha are happy to have you as a leader. Weiss would only cause arguments if she was in charge. She has a lot to learn. There's more to being a leader than fight skills."

"So you're not upset you weren't one?"

Mercury laughed. "I'm not leader material, especially of our team. Ruby's special."

"Yeah." Jaune would full heartedly agree with that. "Don't suppose that offer to play Conquering Remnant…?"

"…Ruby would argue to start a new game." He mused, more to himself. He then shrugged. "Could be fun. We've only played on our own. Pairs would be interesting."

"Thanks. Let me go get Pyrrha." She was in the dorm; he had no idea where the other two were and he wasn't ready to talk to Weiss yet.

Mercury grabbed the final snack. "We're in the library. Hurry up."

Jaune would worry about whether he should be at Beacon later. Right now, a game with friends sounded like a great idea.

* * *

All things considered, it had been a good day.

Port's class was a bit boring, but Goodwitch's was brilliant. The school itself was so much bigger and more fun to explore than Signal. They had spent most of the day looking around and there were still places to be.

Their second game had been fun as well. Ruby had seemed a little down in the first game, but the second had been brilliant. It had ended up Mercury and Emerald vs Yang and Ruby vs Jaune and Pyrrha vs Melody and Blake. It wasn't just that Yang and Ruby had won. It had been that there had been no misery at all.

This was what school was supposed to be like and it was good to have normality back after the whirlwind the last few months had been.

Here was the happiness they all deserved.

Emerald and Mercury were already dressed for bed, with one reading a book and the other playing a game on his scroll. Contrary to his disbelieving look earlier, the top bed hadn't moved a bit when Emerald pulled herself onto it.

 _Take that Mercury._

Yang knew that particular simple solution would work. She never would have allowed that bunk bed to collapse, especially when he was sleeping in it.

Ruby had gone to say goodnight to her new friends. Team JWMP were in the room opposite and team ZBRN were the room on their right. They had learned the dorm was soundproof if the door was closed and she had been happy for it earlier when they were moving the beds. Right now, the door was open a crack.

For a first day, it was interesting.

Yang knew that there would be trouble between teams. Stick four strangers in the same room from different backgrounds and there were bound to be some problems. The four were close now, but it certainly hadn't started that way. Well, except with Ruby. They all adored her as soon as they knew her.

Port's class was a lot duller than she thought it would be. Still, it was Grimm Studies. You kill them by aiming for their weak spots, by blasting them over and over until they die or by decapitating them. Easy.

Combat class was going to be fun every time. There was nothing like a good fight, even if she wasn't in it.

The doctor also appeared good. He hadn't pushed Mercury. He seemed to know ways to try and help. Now all they had to do was wait.

Yang happened to be near the door when she heard soft voices. Recognising one as Ruby's, she waited for her to enter. It sounded like she was talking to Jaune. It was good to see that friendship was going well, despite the problems team JWMP were having.

"You're not allowed to be a failure Jaune."

"Is everyone on your team bad to talk to about these things?"

 _Huh?_

"Huh?"

"I talked to Mercury earlier."

"Oh. He's not that bad. He just takes some getting used to."

Yang smiled. She would agree with that. She looked back at the one in question and found he was staring back at her with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head.

"Well, he is blunt and I did kind of need it…Does he lie?"

"He never has to me."

"He said that I was a better leader than Weiss. That I had qualities she didn't. What did he mean?"

"He meant you cared about your teammates. You care about what Weiss said and that's what's bothering you. You want to do what's best for your team and you've only been with them a day. Melody and Pyrrha really look up to you."

"I thought that was a quality of being a teammate, not a leader."

"Yeah, but sometimes it takes time. I mean, you can't be a leader if no one follows you, right? You did think up the plan to take down the Death Stalker. The others listened to you then."

"I'm rubbish at fighting Ruby."

"…Well, we can all improve. Not fighting well can be taught fairly easily. Other lessons aren't that easy. I think you're a good leader Jaune."

 _Ruby's put a lot of thought into this._

"It's been one day."

"Then you'll be a great leader."

Jaune chuckled.

Yang had heard enough. She was still smiling as she stepped away from the door, pride swelling in her chest.

Five minutes later, Ruby entered with a smile of her own and locked the door behind her.

Ruby would be fine. Yang remembered her surprise and confusion when she had been named as the leader. Yang hadn't felt the same; she had known it would be Ruby. Her sister was exceptional and was a leader that anyone would willingly follow.

Things were shaping up to be a really great year.

* * *

 **AN: One good thing about having 24 students to work with was that it makes Combat class easier to write.**

 **I re-watched the first season again before writing this chapter and it seemed to me that it wasn't just Ruby's childish actions that Weiss disliked. I thought it would probably bother her to be put on a team with a leader she could fight rings around.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	12. Life and School Matters

**AN: In no way am I associated with Rooster Teeth**

* * *

The rest of the working week was very similar to that first day.

Team JWMP were trying to get along and were doing an okay job of it. Weiss had listened to Melody and, if the rumours were right, Goodwitch. Jaune had told Ruby that both Pyrrha and Weiss had offered to tutor him, with Melody being almost apologetic that her weapon was so different.

Blake playing Conquering Remnant had warmed her to RMEY a little and they soon met the rest of her team properly. Zephyr was friendly and seemed the type to get along with anyone. Ren and Nora were complete opposites: one who rarely spoke and one who rarely shut up. So far, their teammates had been getting on swimmingly.

The same could not be said for SVDG. While Violet was the quiet type who tried not to get into trouble, Sawyer had his work cut out for him with Daisy and George. If they weren't arguing with him, they were arguing with each other. The pair also liked to get into fights with other students when they were away from their teams.

CRDL became friends almost instantly, much to the annoyance of other teams. They had rapidly turned into a group of bullies and certainly didn't try to hide their behaviour. So far, they had moved as a group and had never been seen alone. None of the other students had tried to approach them.

As it happened, HION were quite popular, especially with students from the older years. They had also become close within a day and didn't appear to have any problems with other students or each other.

Some of the older students offered encouragement whenever they saw one of the younger ones alone looking depressed. These troubles were a phase that the majority of teams had gone through, if not at the beginning, then later on when something unexpected happened. It was best to handle explosions now and it wasn't the end of the world if things weren't going well yet. A few older teams offered to spar with the younger ones so they could experience fighting like a team.

As it happened, that helped a lot for SVDG and JWMP.

Soon, there was fighting between different teams rather than within the same team. Those competitions were often friendly fun. Things were calmer by the end of the week than they had been at the beginning.

* * *

When Weiss applied for Beacon, she had an idea in mind as to what to expect: harsh deadlines, high expectations and a firm no nonsense attitude.

She got the first and second, but the third was difficult to determine.

On top of that, her leader had made friends with Ruby Rose. Weiss had thought her childish before Initiation. As it happened, she had no idea. However, it wasn't just Ruby as her sister was just as bad.

It started the second day of term.

JWMP were ready to go. For whatever reason, Yang of RMEY was running late and, unfortunately, they had agreed to wait for them. As Weiss got more restless, Ruby, Emerald and Mercury couldn't care less that they could be late to class.

Weiss wasn't surprised about that.

However, they were not going to be the reason for her getting bad grades. If Yang did not appear in the next three minutes, Weiss was leaving even if no one else was.

One minute later, Yang opened the door.

A bucket of water landed on her head.

Ruby and Melody burst out laughing. Pyrrha and Jaune also chuckled when they realised Yang wasn't angry about it. Emerald just shook her head as Mercury rolled his eyes.

"Very original Ruby," Yang sighed.

 _Is she disappointed!?_

"Well, these guys aren't used to this, so we got to start slow."

"You can start slow on them Ruby. You can stay advanced with me." With that, she disappeared inside again. A second later, her head poked out again. "I am not ignoring this obvious declaration of war." Her head disappeared again.

With a snort, Mercury pushed off against the wall and past Weiss without glancing at her. After giving Ruby an amused smile, Emerald followed. Ruby grinned and ran after them.

JWMP stood in the hall for a few seconds before deciding not to wait for Yang.

Weiss just knew she was going to regret living in the same hallway as these imbeciles.

* * *

It was Thursday when Emerald realised that school may not be as different as she hoped; only that incidents at least started on a smaller scale.

It had been a rather tame incident by Emerald's standards and it occurred at lunch.

Lunch was between 12 and 2 for all years. However, they usually staggered in so there was always room to sit and the cafeteria was big enough for the entire student body if necessary. Normally, students ate lunch depending on when their next class was. If it was at 2.30, then they tended to eat earlier.

Today, they had arrived and joined JWMP at their table after an invitation. Emerald didn't recognise a lot of students in the cafeteria, so they were the older students.

Which meant that CRDL were currently attacking a Faunus that was at least a second year, if not older. Didn't they know she could almost certainly flatten them?

 _Looks like me and Merc aren't the only ones with a poor Huntsman mind-set. And people wonder why the White Fang turned to terrorism._

It also showed how much of an idiot these kids were. If you provoke someone who is more powerful and experienced than you, you shouldn't be surprised when they smash you into pieces. Emerald had learnt that lesson when she was very young and had attacked the Maiden knowing the risks and had been expecting a very difficult fight. She had just thought numbers and tactics would win. She had been wrong, but she had known that was a possibility.

Still, this particular student didn't seem to be in a violent mood. Emerald couldn't hear what she was saying over the morons' laughing, but it wasn't a threat.

Ruby and Yang didn't seem to have noticed, happily chatting away about some TV show. Mercury had noticed and was studying the event with feigned disinterest. He was frowning though.

Emerald put her elbows on the table, her wrist slightly touching his arm. [Is that bothering you?] It was bothering Emerald for a lot of reasons. Why wasn't the girl fighting back?

[I was wondering if I could get a four on one fight out of it. The matches in class are too tame for me.]

 _And too easy._

So far, Goodwitch hadn't called on him. Emerald had been called on once to fight Daisy and while that could have been a very quick win, she had dragged it out and made it look close. No one, save RMY and probably Goodwitch, had been any the wiser.

[Doesn't look like anyone else is getting involved. Why not ask?]

[Because they're cowards who'll probably refuse?]

He had a point. As it happened, George had been third at Sanctum, underneath Pyrrha and someone else who didn't come to Beacon and he hadn't lost in the combat arena yet. Everyone remembered how easily Mercury had run rings around him on the airship. Bullies were often cowards, especially against someone they knew would fight back.

[Why is she putting up with this anyway?]

Emerald shrugged slightly at his question. She wondered if it had something to do with her being a rabbit Faunus. Would CRDL be willing to try and threaten a wolf Faunus?

[Maybe we should introduce them to Adam.]

Mercury snorted at that, bringing the sisters attention to them. Ruby looked them in the eyes, then glanced at their touching arms before continuing flawlessly where she left off from her conversation with Yang. She didn't ask and Yang didn't either. Even though they weren't talking about anything too serious, it was odd how willing the sisters were to let them keep secrets.

Then again, she and Mercury wouldn't be talking about a TV programme especially by aura reading, no matter how much they preferred it.

Strangely, when Emerald blinked she heard a quiet voice and was looking at trees. **"What was that about?"** When she opened her eyes afterwards, she caught Mercury turning his attention back to CRDL.

Emerald knew that voice. Blake. She had just seen the memory Mercury had been thinking of. It hadn't been intentional, but he probably didn't care if she saw it.

[When was that from?] That hadn't been Emerald Forest and she hadn't seen Blake before that.

[It's not important.] Mercury was confused. Maybe he didn't know. Best to give him some time to figure it out before asking him again. Then he shook his head. [Okay, I'm bored.]

Mercury stood up and with a smirk strolled over to CRDL.

"How long has that been going on?" Ruby asked when his movement caught her attention. She was wearing a scowl and was glaring at CRDL. It was an odd expression to see on the normally cheerful girl.

"A while," Emerald commented idly.

"What's Mercury doing?" Yang asked. She was angry as well.

"What he does best."

Both Yang and Emerald looked at Ruby. She didn't seem to notice. Instead, she nodded. "Good."

 _She must really be angry._

Mercury was now standing next to the group. "You know, that's not how you ask a girl on a date."

Emerald snorted. The group weren't laughing; they were staring at Mercury with open mouths. Finally, Cardin growled.

"I'm putting her in her place."

"And you need four of you to do that? If you think you're that bad, maybe you should wait a few more years before attending here."

Cardin let go of the ear. "Stay out of this."

"Then would you mind being a little quieter? It's really hard to hear myself think." Mercury leaned against the table behind him with a thoughtful frown. "Maybe that's why you never do."

By now, the entire cafeteria were watching the show. The Faunus had backed away, giving both parties curious looks. She didn't look too upset. She did come over when Ruby waved her over.

"Take that back punk!"

 _Pathetic._

"Is he your teammate?" The Faunus asked them quietly when she sat next to Ruby.

Emerald didn't catch the other insults CRDL threw at him. They probably weren't very creative ones anyway.

"Yeah," Ruby whispered back. "His name's Mercury. I should probably be stopping him, but he saw it and I didn't. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"How about here and now!?" The yell brought their attention back to the scene. CRDL were on their feet with furious expressions. Mercury hadn't moved and was still smirking. He wasn't threatened at all.

"While I don't think four on one is particularly fair-"

"You started it," Russell cut in.

"I think eight on one would be frowned upon even when I win," Mercury finished as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Ah, well. Can't have everything. So where and when? I'm good with right now."

"You're that desperate to land in the infirmary?" Cardin sneered.

"You're stalling."

"Whatever. You know fighting in the cafeteria's against the rules?"

"So is bullying and that didn't stop you. What's your problem anyway? You seemed all ready to go a minute ago."

"I'm not going to give up my weekend just to thrash you."

They didn't take Mercury up on his offer to fight later either. CRDL left with their heads literally held high.

 _Cowards._

Mercury shook his head and headed back to their table. With the entertainment over, most students were now ignoring him. The chatter around them quickly began to pick up again.

"Well, that didn't work."

"It was a long shot," Emerald pointed out as she returned to her lunch. "For a moment, I thought they would cave." She wished they had. It would have been very fun to watch.

"I wouldn't be that lucky."

The Faunus spoke up then. "Thank you."

Mercury gave her his attention for about five seconds. "I didn't do it to help you." He turned back to his own half-finished meal.

Ruby gave her a smile. "Mercury's the best fighter I've ever seen and needs a challenge. He doesn't get it in a one on one fight."

"He also gets bored very easily," Yang tagged on cheerfully.

Emerald agreed with both points, though she didn't think he would get a challenge in a four on one fight either. At least, not if the four were made up of students from this school. Maybe that was why he didn't get called upon in class.

It wasn't that different from the lessons she had learnt on the streets. The strong band together to pick on who they consider weak. Separate from your group and you could become a target. Be careful of who you choose to befriend or they could stab you in the back.

However, only idiots target someone from a combat school with high standards that have attended longer than them. This school seemed to have no shortage of idiots.

Emerald wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

* * *

After their final class on Friday with Goodwitch (Blake vs Violet, George vs Opal and Yang vs Russel), she told them the times that the bullhead left on Saturdays and Sundays to go into and from Vale. Apparently, this was allowed every weekend and on week days if advanced warning was given or it was an emergency.

Emerald had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it was good to know they weren't restricted to Beacon and, as they hadn't been told otherwise, she and Mercury could go. On the other hand, she was afraid to be recognised by someone working for Cinder. This was going to end badly.

She waited until Ruby and Yang fell asleep. They were excited. When she recognised their breathing had changed, she slid out of her bed and landed quietly on the floor. They still didn't wake.

Mercury raised an eyebrow when he saw her at his side, but did move a little in his bed to allow her room. Once she was lying next to him, he put his arm around her, holding her close.

[What's wrong?]

[Cinder thinks I'm dead. She thinks you are too. Tomorrow, she'll know we're not. She'll know we told.]

Mercury hummed. [It was going to happen eventually. The latest would be at the Vytal Festival, though it was probably going to be before.]

[She'll kill us.] That was her real fear. For being a traitor, for being too powerful and if Cinder found out Emerald was part Maiden…Emerald snuggled a little closer.

Mercury didn't mind. His hand gently rubbed her back.

It was in the silence when Emerald noticed something. The breathing patterns had changed. Someone had woken up. Ruby had woken up. A glance showed Ruby was still in bed, obviously trying to pretend she was still asleep.

"I know you're awake Ruby." Emerald didn't move to look at her again. Mercury was warm and comforting.

Ruby's eyes opened. She slipped out of bed as well, managing not to wake Yang and sat on the end of the currently shared bed. "Sorry. I just thought you don't get much privacy in here from us and well..."

"It's fine."

"You're worried about tomorrow." Ruby said it as a statement, not a question. "We can just not go. Yang will understand."

"I don't want to turn the school into a prison Ruby. For any of us. Besides, you and Yang haven't done anything wrong. You could go without us."

Ruby immediately shook her head with a frown. "No. We're not going to the city if you can't share that with us. You're family."

It still felt odd hearing that, no matter how many times she did. In honesty, she had expected Ruby and Yang to branch out with strangers they had made into friends, leaving them behind. That hadn't happened. Whether they wanted it or not, Ruby involved them in everything. They just couldn't say no to her, even if that meant they had to put up with those strangers.

When Emerald thought about it, there weren't many Ruby was getting very close to. Jaune had been a good friend since day one. Blake had also stood up for her that day. Melody and Pyrrha were okay as well (and Pyrrha's attitude had surprised her). Everyone else was a friendly acquaintance. So far, it wasn't that bad and Blake in particular seemed to socialise in small amounts.

It could be worse.

"I'm not sure we're in as much danger as you think tomorrow, Emerald."

Emerald looked up at Mercury's face. His eyes were thoughtful, but he wasn't afraid.

"What do you mean?"

"People know us as Beacon students. Attacking us is going to draw a lot of attention she doesn't want and she knows we can fight better than any student in this school. There are probably going to be other Huntsmen in the city as well. Besides, we have already betrayed her and she's going to know that. Killing us now doesn't keep her secrets."

"We've seen her face. We couldn't show anyone that."

"So has the Fall Maiden." Mercury blinked then. His voice became a mumble. "So has the Fall Maiden."

Ruby had shifted. Her arms stretched out and began to rub her fingers into Emerald's tense shoulders. Her hands moved in a very good massage. Mercury's arm moved so his hand was playing with Emerald's hair.

The tension began to drain out of the girl.

"What is it, Merc?" Ruby asked, not stopping her movements.

"The original plan was to sneak in during the Vytal Festival. Cinder can't sneak in herself at all now. Even if she manages to get rid of us, it doesn't solve the problem. The Fall Maiden saw her and she probably watches the fights. She'll recognise her. The odds of her getting rid of me, Em and the Maiden without something going wrong…Well, near impossible."

"She thought we were dead," Emerald pointed out. "We weren't part of the plan. With the Spring Maiden power, she would attack the Fall Maiden with help and probably win."

"We don't know why she attacked Fall over Spring in the first place," Mercury answered. "Tomorrow, she's going to have to take us into account. That's going to change her plan for the Fall Maiden."

Ruby was quiet as she thought, but she asked now. "What are you saying?"

"The Dust robberies haven't stopped. The White Fang are getting more restless. Cinder hasn't stopped her plan. She's merely altered it. If students are going to be suspected during the Vytal Festival, what about before? What if you slipped in your mole before that? Rather than study students for a few weeks, they get a few months."

It clicked immediately for Emerald what Mercury was saying. Ruby was a little slower, but Emerald knew when she got it when her hands froze.

"You're wrong, Mercury."

"I could be. It's just a theory. There can't be background checks or else we wouldn't have been let in. We were a last minute addition Ruby and Ozpin would have needed to accept someone else to make up the numbers. Maybe it was a fortunate opportunity."

Ruby's fingers circled again; the girl relaxed again. "I still say you're wrong."

Mercury hummed and dropped the subject. His finger twirled around one of Emerald's longer strands. "Tomorrow's going to be fine. It's probably going to be a few weeks before someone recognises us anyway. Why would anyone mention two Beacon students to her?"

 _And if you're right, we need to worry about a mole inside the school. She'll know when they report names._

His theory did make sense and even seemed likely. No one stood out to her, but then again she didn't know any of them. If there was a mole, they were almost certainly an excellent actor and probably wouldn't get caught unless they wanted to be.

Mercury was also quite paranoid and he wasn't comfortable in the school yet. Both of them were seeing signs of danger that probably weren't there.

No point worrying now.

Tomorrow was going to be fine.

[Can I stay here tonight?]

[Sure.]

Emerald wasn't a little girl that needed a protector. It didn't hurt to have a reminder that the past few months hadn't been a hopeful dream.

* * *

Perhaps the imbeciles did have some responsibility.

Pyrrha had suggested a study group for the eight. RMEY liked the idea and agreed to meet in the library on Saturday morning.

Yang, Mercury, Pyrrha and Jaune were at the library when Weiss arrived. She was five minutes early, so this was a good start. They had also moved two tables together to accommodate them more easily.

There was also a plate of Oreos sitting in the centre. Weiss rolled her eyes, but chose to let it go. There were worse things than a snack during studying. She personally approved of the idea, but not of the snack selected.

When Ruby and Emerald showed up ten minutes later, they instantly slipped into the seats next to their teammates. Ruby snagged an Oreo and happily tossed it in her mouth.

Only to choke and almost spit it out of her mouth.

Jaune looked at Mercury, who grinned back at him. Grudgingly, Jaune gave him a lien card.

"Yang!" Ruby crossed her arms. "Of all the biscuits to defile, you picked Oreos! That's not right!"

"You were the one who put chillies in the cookies. You started it."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "So where do guys want to start?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes as the two sisters continued to bicker. "How do you put up with this?"

"Princess, just be glad they're keeping it between themselves to the moment. They've got the entire school to play in now. Things are going to be interesting around here. Now which subject do you want to start with?"

In that second, Weiss decided to pretend that Ruby and Yang didn't exist. If they kept their childish antics to themselves, then she would tolerate their company. She only had to put up with them on Saturday mornings for an hour and she would have the rest of the day to herself.

/

Ruby liked Vale. It had everything from shops to cinemas. There was something for everyone.

Yang took the lead. She led the others on a tour around areas that even Ruby had never been to. She pointed out the best and worst restaurants, which shop had what, clubs that had good music and bad music and even the park where events such as auctions and competitions. There was supposed to be a competition next weekend of products from farms around the area.

Ruby was sold on the 'free samples'.

The morning was spent in the arcade. Lunch was in a café that was one of Yang's favourites (for good reason) and the cinema followed. Emerald picked the restaurant afterwards.

It was a very happy family that returned to Beacon that evening on one of the final bullheads out of the city.

When they got back, they were asked by Melody if they wanted to play a game of Atlas Cluedo with a few other teams. Emery initially refused. Yang agreed instantly and decided to drag Mercury into the game as well. He still refused. When he found out they were betting five lien each and so there was forty lien available though, he caved.

 _Wonder what he plans to do with that money._

Gambling wasn't illegal at Beacon and the teachers were aware it happened, although it was discouraged. They had the rule that the money had to be provided upfront so there was no 'he owes me money from four weeks ago'. If you couldn't pay, you couldn't play and if you tried to cheat, the following thrashing was your own fault. Also, there was a ten lien each person limit and one gamble a week.

How the teachers would know which student betted what, Ruby didn't know.

Emerald wasn't interested, so she headed back to the dorm. Ruby wanted to follow her and when she saw the other teams only had two playing (Nora and Ren, Melody and Jaune, Violet and Sawyer), she excused herself. Yang didn't seem bothered and Mercury smiled for a second before he settled back into his usual smirk.

"Lost little girl?"

Ruby had seen Opal and Nettle, smiling at them as she tried to pass by them in the hall. When they said that though, with a bit of mockery in their tone, Ruby stopped. Her smile didn't change despite her slight unease.

"No. My dorm's this way." As they knew because theirs was in the same corridor.

"Are you sure? Little girls shouldn't be away from home where mummy and daddy can't protect them."

Ruby had a really bad feeling about this. She just wanted to get back to Emerald. "Excuse me." She tried to move past, but Opal caught her arm.

"You shouldn't be here. You should be at home playing with your dolls."

This was a side to these girls Ruby hadn't seen all week. Normally they were friendly. What had brought this on? "Let me go."

 _Stay calm. Don't start a fight._

With a sweet smile, Opal let go. The two were laughing as she walked away.

Ruby wasn't.

Rather than crash on her own bed, Emerald was lying on Mercury's. She looked calm and happy. Maybe she was finally beginning to see herself as a student and not a prisoner. That relaxed Ruby and put the HION girls out of her mind completely.

When Emerald heard the door close, she opened her eyes and gave Ruby a small smile. She shifted over a bit so Ruby could lie down next to her. Surprised but pleased, Ruby did so. She always took them up on offers of affection. They had gone without it for too long.

[Did you have fun today?]

It had taken a lot of practice, but Ruby and Emerald were finally familiar enough with each other it actually felt like talking when they were reading the other's aura. There was a comfort that aura reading gave that merely talking didn't.

[Definitely.]

[Was there anything that worried you?] Ruby had noticed how tense both she and Mercury had been all week and had been trying to find a balance between comforting them and giving them space to realise their safety on their own.

Emerald took a moment to think about that. [No. That surprised me. I didn't even get the sense someone was following us.]

[So do you want to go to that farm festival next week?] It was probably going to be a lot more crowded and they didn't like crowds.

[…Yeah, I'd like to.]

Ruby reached out and patted Emerald's shoulder. She in return wrapped her arm around the smaller girl and pulled her closer. Emerald was happy.

For the day, there hadn't been any talk of Torchwick or Cinder. There hadn't been any mention of the time before Patch. They had been four normal Beacon students enjoying the city. That was what Ruby wanted them to be.

Emery had a bit of learning to do before they got to that point.

They were trying and were doing an okay job. Mercury might have stopped CRDL bullying Velvet because he wanted a fight, but he had still stopped CRDL from bullying Velvet. Emerald was getting along very well with other people, even if she didn't particularly like socialising but she was managing.

They had managed not to be the biggest problem students in the year. They now knew what to expect from each of the classes and Emerald had done well in combat class. Both of them weren't as far behind in their education as they had feared and were genuinely interested in most of the classes. Although, they had never had the chance to get a formal education and both were taking advantage of the opportunity.

Ruby honestly never thought that going to school was a privilege. She had always seen it as a bit of a chore.

They tended to stick to her and Yang when they were around the school (mostly her). Save for fetching refreshments during their games, they never went anywhere alone, Mercury especially. Ruby had the feeling that they would spend most of their time in the dorm, in the library or in the computer room if she didn't drag them out and about to see her friends. They had never complained though…

Her Emery was getting there. It would just take time.


	13. Progress

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Despite the number of classes doubling over the next week and actually being assigned homework, the second week was pretty good and so was the third. It was the fourth week where there was one small hiccup.

Yang had noticed there was something odd between Emerald and Mercury. There was no change in their behaviour towards the sisters or each other, but Yang could tell something was off. She just didn't know what or why.

On that Wednesday, she asked Ruby. To her amazement, Ruby had said she hadn't noticed anything unusual. Later that day though, she changed her mind. She said didn't know exactly what either.

The fact _Ruby_ missed it at all worried Yang. What was going on?

There was one thing she did notice. All three were spending a little more time on their own. At first, it wasn't noticeable. If it was anyone else other than Ruby and her Emery, Yang wouldn't be worried. However, when _Mercury_ was wandering the grounds on his own without being coerced, something was definitely up.

Something was bothering all three. Was it the same thing, a coincidence or something to do with the Animin bond they shared? Emerald and Mercury weren't going to tell her, but Ruby might.

If they hadn't sorted it out on their own by the end of the weekend, then Yang was going to get involved.

* * *

Weiss didn't know who to throttle: Melody and Jaune as one of them must have done something to encourage those children or Ruby and Yang for being such a poor influence.

Or maybe she would just settle for whichever idiot had decorated her dorm with insects. That they were fake did not improve her mood any. At least they had left her bed alone.

 _Scratch that. They are going to pay for this. No one puts a cockroach under my pillow, plastic or not._

Weiss did have a slight disadvantage. It was clear that Ruby and Yang's household encouraged this behaviour and most likely, they had been taught these skills from a young age. On the contrary, law and order had been a must in Weiss' house.

 _Perhaps it would be wise to consult someone else on this matter. As I cannot be sure who was responsible for this travesty, there are only two people I can be sure weren't._

Now the difficulty was finding them. She would prefer one over the other, but she would work with what she was given.

"Repeat that Princess. I'm very sure I heard that wrong."

Weiss was very sure that Emerald and Mercury had known Ruby and Yang before they came to Beacon. As such, they had an insight she did not. She did not think they were responsible for any of it because the sisters had so far left them alone, save for decorating their dorm.

In addition, it gave her an accomplice in the RMEY dorm. She was not blind to the fact Emerald really didn't like her (Weiss did not know the reason) and only tolerated her because of her leader, but Mercury appeared to be more mature when handling grudges.

"My words were: 'I would like to send a message to the sisters in a language they understand'."

"So my hearing's not going. And you want me to be your translator?"

"Preferably. You speak their language and are familiar with their ways."

"What's in it for me?"

Weiss had initially dismissed Mercury as someone who would not be interested in the slightest in excelling and a waste. In class, that was the impression he gave. However, while it was obvious he did not know the material when they sat down in their study sessions, he absorbed knowledge in a way Weiss respected and was almost envious of. She did not know his fighting prowess (his fight with George suggested high), but his intelligence in written subjects was in stark contrast to her original 'barbarian' label.

If he applied himself, he would be near the top of the class. He just wasn't interested. This was the main reason Weiss disliked him.

However, a business transaction was something she could understand.

"What would you be interested in?"

Mercury gave her an amused grin. "Here's a tip Princess," he knew she was an heiress as well. "Don't allow them to dictate the first terms. Name something and haggle with them. I'll state now I'm not interested in money."

Weiss thought. That was wise advice; the other might suggest something that Weiss was greatly adverse to. "You do not like studying." She knew that much at least. Theory with no practical use he disliked the most, not contributing at all to class discussions.

"True, though I don't like the idea of piggy-backing off someone else's work either. Got my interest so far."

That was not what Weiss was offering, but it was a good sign he was in agreement. Therefore, what was her offer?

"If you are willing to spare to half an hour, I can walk you through the library sub-sections, along with the best areas to find overlapping material."

Mercury thought it over. This would cut his time in half when completing homework assignments because he would not be wasting time in the wrong area to find the knowledge he needed. After all, there were no signs and it had taken Weiss hours of personal studying to see the pattern.

"Deal. So what message are you thinking? If they know you are behind a prank, they are going to assume that you are willing to play along and there'll be more."

"Any variation of 'leave me alone' that they'll understand."

"That's not going to be easy." His grin went wider. "But I'll see what I can do."

"Two weeks of solitude for this half hour."

"Deal."

He might not be a good student, but Mercury obviously had the traits of a good businessman. When she returned to her dorm, she was satisfied and awaited the results. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she was very sure of what she wasn't expecting.

Everything stopped the next morning.

Jaune, Melody and Pyrrha's beds had been dyed pink and blue somehow. Weiss' had been left alone. Their ringtones had been changed to different tunes that they reluctantly agreed were good matches. Weiss' scroll had been left alone.

Weiss hadn't been expecting instant results.

She also hadn't been expecting the quiet towards her to last over two weeks. True to their agreement, she taught Mercury exactly how the library was divided, which was quite complicated as much overlapped. She believed this was intentional as every aspect of life influenced another.

Life became much less stressful.

Ruby and Yang never brought up the topic of why Weiss was excluded in their games and Weiss agreed with it.

She also never asked Mercury exactly what he did.

When she decided to become involved with their games, she started with decorating their dorm with plastic insects. Emerald was her accomplice in that in an agreement to a ceasefire. Weiss didn't know Emerald's reason for dislike and she was happy not to know.

Her time at Beacon had quickly become some of her best memories, with the immature behaviour just as much as the schoolwork.

* * *

It seemed like forever ago that she was a first year, but seeing all the new ones brought back all the memories for Velvet. Some bad and most good.

She had been curious about the first years and knew they tended to go to lunch early in that first week. She had gone to have a look. The rest of her team had already agreed to see other friends, but had asked for a few stories.

Velvet had told them about the young ones, though she left out CRDL's bullying. She hadn't been willing to damage their reputation around the other first years by defeating them and she didn't want to fight anyway. She wasn't bothered by their behaviour as her teammates knew better and that was all that mattered.

While she hadn't interacted with many of them, the eight she did talk to (JWMP and RMEY) were good people. Given that a lot of students were focusing on their own problems, she had expected to wait until the group got bored. She was happy someone had stepped in, even if it hadn't been to help her.

Speaking of which, wasn't that Ruby? Velvet lowered her camera, honestly surprised to see her alone in the courtyard. She appeared troubled. Velvet hadn't heard of any trouble between that team, which was unusual.

Had something happened?

"Hey, Velvet."

Velvet smiled when she saw Coco approach. "Hi."

"Are they for the scrapbook or the box?"

"The scrapbook." While Velvet did take pictures of weapons, she greatly enjoyed making a scrapbook of the people she met and those she had yet to meet. It was fantastic to see someone grow from a shy introvert at the beginning of the year to a confident, self-assured fighter and often friend by the end.

Coco looked past her at who she had been watching. "I like the hood. Who is that?"

"That's Ruby Rose, leader of RMEY." Velvet frowned. "She was much more cheerful a few weeks ago." The frown deepened when a different team than hers approached her. "She said they were called HION." Velvet had heard other teams from their year talk about them and were described as friendly, fun loving girls. She hadn't known them until they were pointed out in the cafeteria. What she thought she was seeing wasn't the behaviour of friendly acquaintances.

When Ruby's body language changed, both Coco and Velvet were scowling. Without a word to one another, they headed over.

"Break it up girls," Coco called over their voices.

Ruby looked at Coco puzzled, but when she saw Velvet she smiled. That may be what confused HION so much, but one of them looked at their scroll which Velvet knew hadn't gone off.

"Sorry, I've got to take this." The girl lifted it to her ear and pretended to greet someone on the other end. The other three followed her, an image of good behaviour and showing none of the aggressive postures they had towards Ruby just a moment ago.

Ruby herself relaxed a bit when they left. "Thanks, but that wasn't necessary."

"It didn't look that way Ruby," Velvet commented gently.

The young leader sighed. "I don't understand what started this. I mean, they were nice when we first met and even when my team's around but when I'm alone…"

Velvet had seen that in one team of the upper years before. Individually, the girls were great to talk to, but together they were to be avoided. It looked like HION were going to be like that as well and they had picked Ruby out to be a target.

"Some people are just like that." Velvet certainly had experience with that behaviour, as Ruby knew. It wasn't easy to deal with bullies, but the first step was understanding that the problem wasn't the victim's fault. "It's nothing you've done."

"Well, they are upset I got into Beacon early-"

"That means nothing," Coco interrupted. "You wouldn't be here if you hadn't earned your place. If they're jealous about that, then that's their problem. They should be thinking about how to improve themselves, not make you feel worse."

"…Thanks."

Velvet's smile returned. "Ruby this is Coco, my friend and our leader."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Coco liked her. Velvet could tell that.

"I'm guessing your team don't know about them?"

"Err…no. It's not a big deal."

Velvet knew it was, but she didn't push. "Is there something else bothering you Ruby?" Velvet asked. Ruby had seemed troubled before HION approached her. She hadn't noticed them before that.

Ruby smiled, no sign of concern on her face. "No, nothing."

"No problems with your team then? They seem like a good bunch."

"They are." Ruby eyes were warm, but she bit her lip. She glanced at the two, then back at the school. Once again, she looked at them. "Umm, hypothetically…just out of curiosity…is there a rule about dating? You know, within a team?"

Coco hummed. "There's no rule against it, but you do need to be careful if you break up. You do still have to work with them after all, so it's a good idea to wait and see if it's just a passing crush."

"Right," Ruby mumbled. That didn't seem to calm her.

"What did your sister say?" Velvet asked. Yang seemed to care greatly about her.

Ruby gulped. "I…haven't brought it up. She can be a little…"

"Overprotective?"

"…Yeah. I was going to talk to her but…later…"

Now that Velvet thought about it, there was something else. "It's Mercury, right?" Ruby blushed, which said everything. "How long have you known him?"

"Almost four months."

So the rumours were true: RMEY did know each other before they came to Beacon.

"He said before that he was looking for a fight. If it was you, would his reason be the same?" Velvet did notice Coco's look, but chose to ignore it for now.

Ruby answered instantly. "No. He would have done it to help me or Emerald."

"Not Yang?"

"Probably not. He likes us more than Yang."

That might be a problem. Velvet had seen RMEY around, but if Ruby was with Yang then Mercury was with Emerald. He spent a lot more time in her company than the sisters'. There was a chance they were developing feelings for one another.

Velvet didn't say any of that. "So what are you going to do?"

Ruby bit her lip. "I'm still working on that. There are a few people I need to talk to."

Velvet was curious but didn't press. Either Ruby's family were extremely protective of her (it couldn't be easy having your older sister on your team) or this was something more complicated than simple teenage romance. It could be both.

* * *

Yang liked Fridays. They had Combat class in the morning, followed by Kingdom Studies and another Combat class in the afternoon. It was a simple day with a lot of free time, but it was still hard work.

They had just finished Kingdom Studies (and Yang was very glad she wasn't studying at Atlas as she didn't like following orders and wouldn't do well in their military). As they had an hour before Combat class, they had gone in different directions. Mercury had headed to the gym and Emerald had gone to the library. Ruby had used her Semblance and vanished, then sent her a message to come to the dorm.

Worried but curious, Yang almost ran there.

Ruby was sitting on Yang's bed. Her normal smile wasn't there. She seemed very confused.

"Hey Yang."

"Hey Ruby." Yang sat next to her and pulled her into a hug. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong per se…You promise not to get mad?"

If Yang thought she had been worried before, that question certainly made it worse. "I promise Ruby. What's going on?"

"Umm…How do you know if you like someone? I mean, _like_ like someone?"

It took a few moments to register exactly what Ruby was asking. When it did, Yang relaxed a lot. She had been afraid something crazy had happened. Dating was normal in school, even if she didn't like the idea of Ruby with a boy.

Yang did remember talking to Dad; about how Ruby was growing up. It was hard not to treat her as the baby sister she's been for so long. She really didn't want Ruby to grow up.

"Well, for starters, you feel different towards them as you do towards anyone else. So who is it?" Although now she thought about it…

"And you greatly enjoy spending time with them, even if you're not doing anything particularly special?"

"Yep. So who's the lucky guy?" Ruby didn't answer. In fact… "It is a guy, isn't it?"

"…Yes and no."

Maybe Yang was right and maybe she was also wrong. Since Ruby wasn't going to give a name, she might as well guess.

"It's Emery, isn't it?"

"You said you wouldn't get mad!"

Yang was counting to ten and had gotten to three when she realised she wasn't mad. Odd. She would think about it later. Right now, Ruby was looking very nervous. She hadn't denied it was Emery. That had her worried for a different reason.

"Are you sure it's not the bond Ruby?"

Her little sister bit her lip, but seemed to relax a bit. "That's what I thought, at first. But it's different. It started off friendship the second I met them, like with so many other friends but much quicker. Now, it's more. I don't feel it towards anyone else."

"How long have you felt it?"

"A while. I'm not sure when exactly. I didn't wake up one day, if that's what you mean. I think, with Mercury, it began when he was kidnapped. At least, that's when I noticed it began to change. When he came home."

That was quite a while Ruby was sitting on it. "You never said anything."

"It was a bad time and…well, I fell ill and then Emerald when we were apart. I thought that was the reason. At first. As time passed and after he recovered, it got stronger." Ruby paused here, but Yang didn't interrupt. "It was…different. When he started returning my affection rather than just accept it…It felt different from you, Dad and Uncle Qrow. I like it."

Yang still wasn't mad. She had asked if the bond led to romance and Uncle Qrow had responded no. He even said two other bonded had had successful marriages to someone else. Whatever Ruby's feelings were, the bond probably wasn't responsible, as much as Yang disliked it.

This was about Ruby, not Yang.

"And Emerald?"

"It's…complicated."

"Most feelings are Ruby. Start from the beginning. When did that change?"

"…I'm not sure. Well, Emery are really close and are nearly always together, especially when we're having sister time. Which I love." That was added hastily, but Yang understood. Ruby loved Yang and the two had still spent much time together after they had been adopted. They had never tried to interfere with that, though Yang only realised that now. "I thought maybe…"

"Maybe they loved each other," Yang murmured softly.

Ruby nodded slowly. "I didn't want to get in the way of that. I mean, they haven't gone on dates, but I don't think that would occur to them. Just…naturally be together. And…" She trailed off.

"And?"

Ruby frowned. "I thought I would be jealous, you know? Of how close they are, whether they are dating or not. But…well…not if it's Emerald. Not if it's Mercury."

Yang played that last bit back in her mind. It didn't make any more sense. "Okay, you've lost me Ruby."

"Well, I like Mercury, but I'm not angry if it's Emerald. It's odd. I don't like the idea of a stranger or a friend with him." Ruby glanced down and her voice dropped. "I don't like the idea of you with him."

Strange. Dating was supposed to be simple. Still, most girls would be bothered by the idea their sister was dating their boyfriend. Then again, most girls would be bothered by any other girl dating their boyfriend.

"You don't like the idea of anyone else with Emerald either."

"…No. She…um…I haven't spent as much time with her alone as with Mercury because she settled better." _That's an understatement._ "But, no. I like her too. It just…took longer to realise."

Yang thought this over. This didn't sound like a common crush. If Ruby was okay with sitting back and letting them be happy, then it had to be deeper. Much, much deeper.

"So you don't mind sharing them, as long as it's with each other."

"Share-Huh?"

Ruby could be dense sometimes. "Why don't you three head to Vale together tomorrow? Spend the day and see how you feel? It might help."

That brought her eyes back to Yang. "What about you? Aren't you coming?"

"I think you need to tell them." If the three did start dating, _then_ she would start playing the overprotective sister. Right now, that wasn't what Ruby needed. Plus, the effect was kind of lost due the fact she had yet to beat Mercury.

That and she wasn't as angry as she thought she'd be. Maybe that would come later.

Her sister stared back at the floor. "Yang, I didn't even notice something was odd about them recently if you hadn't pointed it out."

With good reason, apparently. "Ruby-"

A buzzing from both their scrolls cut her off. Yang was about to ignore it when it occurred to her that they only way both scrolls could go off at the same time (except for a crazy coincidence) was if Emerald or Mercury had sent a message on the group chat. It was worth a look.

Mercury: Message from Qrow. He wants me in Ozpin's office at 7

 _What?_

Ruby leaned into her as she read the message. "Now isn't a great time Yang."

"Ruby, I don't know them as well as you do, but I'm not sure there's ever going to be a great time." And not just because he had somehow managed to get in trouble with the headmaster.

"…Right. Okay."

Ruby was calmer than she was when Yang entered. She had obviously given the 'problem' some thought and it might be little while before she acted. It was new territory for Ruby after all.

Right now, the (probably) oldest member of the team had decided to play matchmaker, rather than overprotective sister. She would get to that later.

* * *

There was one aspect of that Animin bond Yang was jealous of: the ability to know the direction the others were. She decided not to approach Mercury yet and she knew Ruby had gone off with JWMP and ZBRN for some game. For once, Yang wasn't interested. At least Ruby wasn't letting her confusion with her Emery get in the way of her new friendships.

Finding Emerald wasn't as easy as she thought. She had thought she would be in the library, but she wasn't. Given that she couldn't swim (they needed to rectify that), she wouldn't be at the pool. She wasn't in the gym either and Mercury told her he hadn't seen her since Combat class. When asked why she was looking for her, Yang responded 'girl stuff'. Mercury didn't ask.

The only place left was the dorm. When Yang arrived, it was locked. Emerald was almost definitely in; there was nowhere else she would be. Yang did have a key, but startling an illusionist was something she did _not_ want to do. She knocked instead.

"Yes?"

"It's Yang."

"Okay." Emerald didn't need to invite her into her own dorm.

The one in question was currently sitting cross-legged on Mercury's bed with her eyes closed. Her breathing was deep; it looked like she was meditating. For some reason, her right palm was facing the ceiling and not just resting on her knee.

Emerald did this at least three hours a day; one hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Rather than try and focus her aura like Mercury, she was trying to tap into her Maiden power.

"Still no luck?" Yang asked once the door was closed behind her.

"Not as much as I would like. You know that feeling that your hand is warmer than the rest of you? That's as much as I can do."

"That's progress then."

"I suppose."

Yang sat next to her and gestured to her hand. "Can I see what happens?"

"Why not?" Emerald closed her eyes once more and, after a moment, gave a nod. There wasn't a visible green glow like there had been that night.

That didn't stop her upturned hand from being red hot when Yang touched it. With a small 'ah', she instinctively pulled her fingers back. While it didn't sting for very long, it still felt as if she had touched a burning grill.

"That's definitely progress and I'm not doing that again."

Emerald opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you did it then."

"Okay, okay. It was a stupid idea." Yang did know better, but she had been curious. She honestly didn't think that would happen. Emerald's Maiden power was extremely weak. She had said she would have given up trying to create a flame if Mercury hadn't told her it was possible. She had no idea what else the Spring Maiden could do, save healing.

Uncle Qrow said it would take a lot of practice.

That wasn't the reason Yang had been looking for her.

"So do you want to talk about what's been bothering you?"

"Not really."

 _Not denying it. Odd._

You didn't live with these guys for near four months and not pick up a little on how their minds worked. "Emerald, if _I_ saw something was wrong, then it's definitely bothering you a lot."

"And what exactly did you see?" Clearly Emerald wasn't giving up without a fight.

It had been Ruby's behaviour that tipped Yang off what had changed. "Something happened between you and Mercury. You two don't make eye contact anymore. You spend more time on your own than you do with him."

"It didn't occur to you that maybe I wanted some time on my own?"

"Not this much. And you ignored the main part. Are you two having a fight?"

"No."

With Ruby, Yang could wait for her to continue in her own time. That wouldn't work with Emerald. If she dropped the topic, Emerald would do a lot to make sure it stayed dropped. Yang was going to have to do most of the work here.

 _Okay, let's think. The two aren't necessarily avoiding one another, so it probably isn't a fight. They still smile when they're together as well. Whatever happened, it hasn't damaged their friendship. They live with us so it wasn't news from home either. Whatever happened, happened at Beacon._

"What is Mercury to you?" Ruby was right in that they were close. How close?

That threw her for a loop. "What?"

"What is Mercury to you? A friend, a brother…?"

"I've never had a brother. How am I supposed to know what that feels like?"

Well, she had a point. She was also getting very defensive. Yang was onto something here and it had something to do with her Quicksilver.

Quicksilver.

Yang had thought that Emerald called Mercury that. But that name could also apply to Ruby. Normally they, including Emerald, shortened his name. Mercury called them Gems. Ruby called them Emery. Emerald must call them together Quicksilver. Somehow, those names were specific to them and none of the other family members had used them.

Maybe Ruby's Emery had been having similar feelings as Ruby.

"Okay, how about me and Ruby? Do you feel the same way about us?"

It was quite a few seconds before Emerald answered. "No."

"No?"

"You're a friend. Ruby's special."

Yang wanted to be insulted, but her mind was still heavy with what Ruby confessed earlier. "Thanks for that."

Emerald shrugged, not particularly caring how Yang took that. "You asked."

True, she had. And Emerald was answering. Normally she and Mercury worked these things out on their own or spoke to her sister. Yet she was talking about this with _Yang_. Not Ruby. Was it confusion or was she looking for advice?

The two did have a very different definition of 'friend' than the sisters did.

"And Mercury's special."

Emerald smiled at that. "Yeah."

"Have you told him this?"

The smile faded a little. "…Yes."

That…wasn't the answer Yang was expecting. It took her a second to ask. "What'd he say?"

Emerald's gaze turned to the window. It didn't look like she was going to answer. Taking a risk, Yang tried to aura read and hope Emerald didn't get annoyed. The pair weren't at the point they could talk to one another, but they could tell emotions.

Disappointment. Acceptance. Agreement.

No anger.

"He felt those emotions as well, for both me and Ruby. He didn't want to go farther in a relationship with either of us than what we currently have. It would feel like betraying the other, even if they didn't complain. I understood and agreed."

So that was why. Why the two were happy and unhappy with each other. Simple and complex at the same time. They both had feelings for Ruby as well as each other, but somehow a three person relationship hadn't even occurred to them. They stepped back instead.

Yang was not dealing with normal teenagers here.

 _So what now?_

"Right now, I think we're off to Ozpin's office." Emerald slid off the bed and picked up the key that was lying on the nearby desk.

Yang hadn't realised she had spoken aloud. "What?"

Emerald gave her the patronising 'isn't it obvious' look. "You really think Mercury would have sent that message if he didn't want us with him?"

A good point. That wasn't what she meant. Yang glanced at the scroll and was surprised to see it had gone half six. She didn't think it was that late. Where had the time gone?

More importantly, Emerald had managed to drop the subject and even for a valid reason. Sneaky.

Still, Yang now knew where the girls stood, even if they didn't. If Emerald was truthful, she also knew where Mercury stood. Excellent seeing as he would never talk with her about this. The tricky bit would be finding the best time for the three to actually sit down and talk to each other.

Being an older sister, Yang was against Ruby getting in any romantic relationship. As much as she hated it, her little sister Ruby _was_ growing up. She was going to date eventually and the ones she was having feelings for were already well known to Yang. It could be worse. As it happened, she could keep an eye on them and none of them would rush into things.

Once everyone was on the same page, then Yang would start threatening.

* * *

Qrow had been looking forward to seeing the teens again. He just wished it wasn't for this reason.

While Tai may have been relieved in a way that the four had gone together and so would watch out for each other, he was having a hard time adjusting to the sudden quiet in the house. Qrow was as well, but he had been kept busy since they left. Outside of teaching, he was rarely in Patch.

Finding out all four had managed to get on the same team wasn't a surprise. Qrow had a good guess how that happened. No student ever took a pawn unless it was the last piece there. The exception was when they had figured out the trick and really wanted to stay together. Despite that, they appeared to be mingling with (or putting up with) their classmates well.

That had been a worry for both Tai and Qrow.

Another worry had been Combat class. Ruby had actually won a few matches with the other students, so she wasn't lagging behind. Yang was never a problem. Emerald seemed to have gone for the 'win by a bare margin' approach. That was fair enough.

Mercury had been a little more complex. They had decided not to call on him for a few weeks while he adjusted to being a student. His instinctive reaction had been to go for a more permanent injury with Yang the first time they fought. While they were very sure he wouldn't go that far now, there was also the fact he had accidentally killed those two mercenaries. That had been a kill or be killed situation; everyone had agreed but no one had forgotten. The action was very easy to do with those who hadn't unlocked their aura, but the teachers wanted to be absolutely certain Mercury knew the skill level of those who were in his class. They did not want any accidents.

When Qrow had asked when Mercury would be called on, Glynda had responded she would test his restraint on Monday. If that went well, she knew which opponents to give him later in the week. She would step in if he went too far.

Glynda had seen him sparring with the rest of the group in their free time, normally one on one but sometimes being ganged up on. Qrow assumed Emerald wasn't allowed to use her Semblance if it was three on one. That would just be unfair.

There didn't appear to be any problems with Ruby either. As many who entered Beacon didn't come from a combat school at all, provided they were good enough, most of the material was new to everyone. A lot of the younger combat school (such as Signal or Sanctum) was learning about weapons, self-defence and the basics of aura usage after it was unlocked. Skipping two years wouldn't hurt her academically and the large number of people she was socialising with was also good. Still, Qrow did think there would be some that weren't happy with her. There always was and he remembered how teenagers thought.

Having three teammates that agree it should have been her as leader probably helped. If they didn't complain, who had the right to?

Qrow wasn't surprised to see all four of them show up at 7. He had only sent a message to Mercury, but he would certainly tell his Gems and probably Yang as she would notice the three missing, along with the fact that she was family.

"Hi Uncle Qrow." Ruby was happy to see him. That would change when she learned why he was here.

"Hey kiddo. Had a good month?" They might not want to talk much about the school with their headmaster in the room, who was watching with a smile.

"Mm-hm. How's Dad?"

"Enjoying the first peace and quiet he's had in a long time."

"He's just as bad," Yang pointed out.

"Minor detail."

The two sisters giggled. Even Emerald was grinning.

Mercury did smirk, but that faded a little as his eyes drifted from Qrow to Ozpin and back to Qrow again. "I don't think we've done anything to get expelled…yet…So why are you here?"

In the corner of his eye, he saw Oz's smile fade a little. This was not going to be a fun conversation.

"Well, it took a while and a trip to one of the most isolated places on Remnant" and boy were they unhappy to see him until Qrow told them what he was looking for, "but we have an answer or a very good guess on what that new tattoo of yours means."

Ruby shifted a little and gave Mercury a worried glance.

 _Right idea kiddo._

Qrow picked up a rather old piece of paper and walked over to them, holding it out for Mercury to take. He did so instantly. He raised an eyebrow. The girls snuck a peak as well and were nowhere near as composed.

"Uncle Qrow, what is that?"

"That is a human Grimm."

The picture they were looking at was hand drawn and was at least a hundred years old. The base figure was obviously human, but that was as far as similarities went. That creature had a Grimm mask, claws, small spikes jutting out of its shoulders and wings.

On its neck was that tattoo.

"Cinder wanted to turn me into a Grimm."

Mercury was taking this calmly. He almost sounded impressed. Emerald swallowed, not taking her eyes off the image. Ruby had paled and Yang wasn't looking any better.

"We don't know the exact process," Oz explained. "However there have been at least seven human Grimm in recorded history and they all bared that mark. The evidence points to some kind of possession."

"Reassuring."

Emerald let out a shaky breath. "So the reason for that 'hole' in your aura is so something can possess you and turn you into… _that_?"

"But." Ruby tore her eyes away and looked at Qrow. "But Grimm don't have aura. If one got into him, surely it would be forced out?"

"Doesn't seem to matter, Ruby. If they had their aura unlocked before this happened, then they don't after. Not a very big deal. They lose their Semblance and any humanity, switching it for near invincibility. They are a Grimm, no more no less. Monsters. The only Dust that actually kills them is silver Dust. The rest does little more than slow it down and blunt force is a no go."

That little village had been very helpful when he eventually admitted he had come across someone with that mark. They may be isolated, but they kept very good records from their ancestors. Silver Dust was the only Dust that could kill it. However, the power of silver eyes didn't just stop the human Grimm, it cured them. Silver Dust killed both the human and the Grimm inside. Silver eyes killed the Grimm, but not the human.

"Silver Dust weapons these days are almost exclusive to the black market," Mercury commented.

Some of the scars Mercury had could only have been caused by a silver Dust weapon. His father was known to use those weapons on some of his jobs. Permanent scarring was one reason why it was strongly discouraged (and in some places banned) from creating new weapons with that particular colour.

"Or a private collector who would refuse to let it go for any price," Oz added.

"So killing me after this isn't looking possible and there's no idea on how the transformation is triggered?" Qrow shook his head. The mark alone couldn't do the job. "Are there any ideas on how to get me out of this prestigious club before I become an honourable member?"

"Currently we have one idea and you are definitely not going to like it." Qrow certainly didn't.

"I don't really like the idea of turning into a Grimm either."

"One idea is to ask a Maiden to remove that mark." Oz. Qrow couldn't say it.

"No." Emerald snapped instantly, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "No. For all we know, you can be possessed even without the mark. It's not doing anything and Cinder's not going to get him again to do whatever does this. Leave it alone."

That was the expected reaction.

"It is true we cannot prove a positive. We also cannot prove a negative until it is too late."

"There was also no way we could have known she had thugs in Glade Town," Qrow reminded them. It was remarkably difficult to predict a kidnapping unless you were involved or had a mole. It must have made its way to Cinder that Emerald and Mercury were alive by now. It was very, very unlikely she would risk making a move against them in one of their trips to Vale, but it was possible.

Qrow had no wish to let this happen to Mercury, regardless of whether Ruby could help him or not.

That was if Mercury accepted this idea or came up with a different one.

"Well," Yang bit her lip, "it wouldn't hurt if he was unconscious, would it? I mean, we could use an anaesthetic."

"The black Dust Yang," Ruby countered instantly. "An anaesthetic won't work on him."

"We don't know why the black Dust is there," Emerald added. "Or how to get rid of it. That'll take months to figure out."

"Or it could only be a few more weeks." Yang seemed the optimist. Not Ruby.

"There's also no guarantee that any cure he finds will work, Yang. There's no guarantee this will even do anything helpful. Even if the mark is…removed…there's still a chance that 'hole' will still be there."

"There's going to be no guarantee for any ideas we have."

"I don't like this," Ruby responded. "Just touching that mark with bare hands…We can't put him through that again…Especially for a 'maybe'…"

"You're going to like the rest even less Ruby." So far, Mercury had been uncharacteristically quiet. That worried Qrow most of all. Mercury looked him in the eye. "Emerald's not strong enough to do that yet."

"Even if I was, I wouldn't…" Her anger switched to horror. "You wouldn't…"

"Wouldn't what?" Ruby asked, eyes flickering between Emerald and Mercury.

"The only other Maiden who knows about Cinder is the Fall Maiden."

Those were the three reasons why they thought Mercury would say no: it would be absolute agony for him, he had to rely on the person he tried to kill to do it and there was no way of knowing if it was even worth it.

"We can't bring a different Maiden to Vale with Cinder in the area." Qrow didn't want to do this either but no matter how tiny the risk was, the two teens were still taking a risk every time they headed to Vale.

They still didn't know how they were going to let Cinder in on the fact that her disgusting scheme was known and being countered. That would make the two much safer as her focus would shift from them almost completely. She wouldn't bother sending hired thugs after them as she initially hired Mercury because he was better than them. With Emerald backing him up, as well as the sisters, it would take nothing short of a Maiden to take them down.

Mercury put his arm around Emerald's shoulders. It calmed her. "How much does the Maiden know about our situation now?"

"She knows I took you in. She was sympathetic towards Emerald. One of her old friends was one of the lucky ones to be taken in off the street when she was very young after their parents died. She was willing to let it slide for now. For you two anyway. If she comes across Cinder again, she'll kill her."

Emerald shifted. Mercury seemed contemplative. "Does she know the specific reason you took us in?" Translation: does she know about the bond?

"She thinks it was mainly to get information and I started to grow attached. She thinks you stayed because of good behaviour." Answer: no. That wasn't to say he _wasn't_ attached; it's just not how things started.

"Right."

Amber didn't know about the bond. She did know that two teenagers willing to kill tend to come from bad backgrounds. She knew and understood Emerald's situation. She got close enough to Mercury to see the scars on his arms. Unless something is done, a lot of abused kids grow up to be abusers themselves. He was still young enough to learn different.

Ruby wrapped an arm around his waist. She looked very worried. His other arm rested on her back and met her concern with a smile.

Emerald really didn't like this idea. Ruby really didn't like this idea. Mercury obviously didn't like this idea.

In the silence that followed, it was safe to guess the three were talking about it through their aura. Qrow smiled, both at the cute scene and at the fact Ruby and Emerald were having the conversation through Mercury as they weren't touching.

The process to turn a human into a Grimm was unknown. It had been almost two months since he was kidnapped and there was no change to his body. Time may not be a factor. The black Dust may have nothing to do with it. There must be some other trigger or perhaps whatever is supposed to possess him is elsewhere.

Honestly, they didn't know anything. That's why they wanted to remove the mark and Dust as quickly as they could before something happened.

Yang walked over to Qrow, not taking her eyes of the trio. They didn't seem to notice.

"Is that the only way to get rid of it?" Yang murmured softly to him. Despite her defending the idea, she didn't like it any more than they did.

"The only one we've thought of. I'm open to suggestions."

They may not be able to hear their conversation, but it had shifted. Qrow knew that look in Ruby's eyes; she had suggested something and wasn't backing down. Emerald's hand was resting on Mercury's chest. Qrow couldn't see her expression.

"I think they're arguing."

There was no question on the topic. "You think Mercury will agree?"

Yang frowned. "I don't know. I didn't think so when I first heard it, but maybe he's warming to the idea." _Or maybe he thinks this is an order under the guise of an option._ "Either way, he's not going to win whatever argument they're having." Yang smiled a little. "He never does."

 _Sounds about right._ "Such as?"

"Everything, really. The funniest was definitely when Ruby wanted to try out that new mini golf course in Vale. Took him four minutes to cave. Annoyingly, Emerald is really good at mini golf."

"It helps when you keep the ball on the course." Qrow seemed to recall Yang was very good at smacking it off.

"It's not as easy as it looks. Definitely not my sport."

Qrow wasn't sure mini golf counted as a sport.

"Okay, what stops her from just killing us as soon as she sees us?" The trio's discussion had ended, but both girls had their arms folded and eyes narrowed. Not a happy pair.

For the first time in a little while, Ozpin spoke. "She will not harm you in Beacon. I can assure you of that." Mercury didn't look convinced. "She recognises Beacon as a school and a safe haven for some of its less fortunate students. She will not cause trouble."

A fancy way of putting it, but Ozpin wasn't wrong. That said, they hadn't actually asked her yet. They had wanted Mercury's opinion first.

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

They didn't get his opinion, but they did get his consent. Qrow wondered whether he was agreeing because he wanted to give the idea a go or because he saw this as an order he wasn't allowed to refuse. He would probably never know.

* * *

Saturday went too fast. It was a mostly fun day out in Vale. There was that shadow, trying to push the dread out of their minds.

Sunday arrived too soon.

All four were awake and out of bed by six, something that had never happened before on a Sunday. They had been told the Maiden…Amber…was going to come to their room at eight. Emerald had seen her arrive at Beacon the night before.

She did not like this plan at all. Did she want the mark gone? Yes. Did she want to scar and brand him even more? Hell no. The question was whether this was worth the _possibility_ of preventing Cinder from turning him into a Grimm.

A human Grimm.

That was just sick.

Mercury did have a point though. They could force him to participate whether he wanted to or not; those in charge wouldn't want to deal with a monster only silver Dust could kill. Ruby had argued that they would have allowed him to say no, but neither of the other two were convinced.

Yang left at half seven, when Mercury told her to. In reality he had told all three to leave, but she and Ruby were having none of it. While they were arguing, Yang slipped out. She hadn't gotten involved. Emerald was grateful for that; it was difficult enough to stop Mercury from throwing them out, never mind Yang who he would never show any weakness to.

At ten minutes to eight, that argument started again and continued until there was a knock on the door.

The three stared, then turned back to each other.

Emerald sighed. "Mercury, you didn't win this argument on Friday, yesterday or this morning. We're _staying_. You are _not_ changing our minds."

Ruby nodded firmly.

Ignoring his glare, Emerald stood up and headed to the door.

 _Let's get this over with._

Qrow and the Fall Maiden.

The Fall Maiden wasn't sending out any aggressive signals. She was curious, but there was no sign of tension in her. Her muscles were relaxed. She didn't even have that baton with her and she obviously didn't feel threatened.

Emerald did, but she didn't show it. She forced herself to step back and allow them into the room.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Bunk beds? Didn't have those when I was here."

Ruby smiled. "My idea. Unanimous decision."

Emerald didn't remember really caring either way, until Yang decided to use superglue that amazingly held up.

The Maiden seemed interested and was smiling slightly. She wasn't watching the pair very closely.

Mercury stood up and, for some reason, pushed the window open. "Well, seeing as we've all got things to do, shall we get this over with?" He had that carefree smirk on his face. Even knowing him so well, Emerald couldn't see how unsure he must be. There was no dread visible.

Just like Emerald, he couldn't show any weakness here.

Qrow eyes had shifted to him when he stood up. "You sure about this?"

"Yep." Mercury wasn't going to back out now. It no longer mattered whether this ever had been optional for him or not.

Qrow nodded. "Alright. How do you want to do this?"

"You don't need to tie me down; I can keep still."

"Opening the window wasn't a smart idea."

"I can keep quiet as well. Believe me, you'll want it open."

Emerald knew Mercury had a higher pain tolerance than her. He carried so many scars. Still, how could he talk so calmly about being scorched as if it was some homework assignment?

She stilled her shaking. No one had noticed.

The Maiden was studying him carefully, then glanced to the side. "This is going to be difficult with the bunk beds."

"Difficult, not impossible." Mercury hadn't bothered to put on his jacket and was still in the shirt he had slept in the night before. By the sound of shuffling, he had removed it and thrown it on the bed.

It was small, but Emerald did see the Maiden's eyes narrow for a moment. It vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Qrow leaned against the bedposts of the sisters' beds. He was obviously staying. If a fight broke out, whose side would he be on?

Finally, Mercury turned his back on his attacked opponent and knelt down, using one leg to brace himself against. Emerald knelt next to him and wrapped an arm across his chest. He was warm and still. Not shaking at all. He was calm and resigned. Mercury had called her a painkiller before. No matter how minor, she was going to spare him anything she could.

[Keep an eye on what she's doing, all right?]

[Of course.]

Emerald could see her. Mercury couldn't.

That mark seemed even darker and more sinister than it had before.

Ruby slid off the bed and also put her arms around him. That Emerald would side with him and protect him was very obvious; she had attacked the Maiden that day as well. Ruby didn't. Her comfort would mean much to him and would send a message to the Maiden that she would defend him as well if she did something he hadn't agreed to.

Naturally, Emerald's arms were touching Ruby's as they held him. Ruby was upset and trying to hide it. Emerald didn't read further and focused back on Mercury. The moment he changed his mind or became too much for him, she would stop this torture session.

The Maiden waited a few seconds. Then, she rested on her knees directly behind him.

"Are you ready for this?" Quiet. Gentle, yet almost firm.

"Do your worst." Strong as ever.

 _Did she just hesitate?_

The Maiden reached forward and barely touched his skin. Mercury didn't like that but he didn't move a muscle. She wasn't touching the mark; slightly to the left of the circle. With a hiss, it trailed down. Just before it hit the black line, it was removed. Mercury didn't react at all.

The freshly burnt skin was red.

Oddly, something unpredictable happened.

In the corner of her eye, Emerald saw Qrow push off the posts. Ruby blinked.

 _How the-?_

One of the black lines higher up had vanished. The skin was unmarked where it used to be. The new burn line remained.

[What is it?] Mercury must have been reading her aura and sensed her surprise and confusion.

[One of the other black lines is gone.]

For a moment, Mercury thought that over. Then he focused his aura again. [Tell her to burn one of the black lines.]

What? [Mercury.] She didn't want to. Merely touching the lines caused him excruciating pain. To _burn_ it… [I can't.]

[Just once. See what happens. Maybe this idea will work after all.]

Ruby's eyes met hers. They were sad. She had been listening. Emerald was sure hers were the same for a moment, but she steeled her heart. She had to.

It didn't work.

"S-See what happens when you draw on the…mark itself. One line."

There. Emerald said it. Despite how it felt, her heart hadn't exploded. It was still hammering against her ribcage.

Mercury's aura seemed to shift.

The Maiden looked unsure. She glanced at Qrow. His eyes were hard. A few seconds passed when he finally nodded once. She turned back to the image.

Emerald hoped she was looking for the shortest one.

She was. White hot fingers drifted down the black line.

Mercury didn't react, not even subconsciously. His breathing was the same and his body remained perfectly relaxed. It was as if he didn't feel any pain. His aura was a lot more difficult to focus on.

 _Of course._

The black line that had just been traced vanished, leaving no mark behind.

This idea would work.

[Good news?]

Emerald couldn't respond. Rather than give him many more burns, they would be doing something much worse.

[Ruby, that is good news. It'll work and we can forget about this afterwards. Tell her to continue.]

Emerald wasn't forgetting this. There was no way she could.

Ruby nodded. She was unable to get the words out as well. There was moisture in her eyes.

Another searing black line. It too faded. Mercury's aura was almost undetectable now.

Emerald took a deep breath and tried to focus. Qrow had said those with an internal Semblance normally found it easier to control their aura. Emerald was an exception. Growing up on the streets where her Semblance was key to her survival, she was very aware of her aura levels. She couldn't manipulate it like this, but then she had never tried. She did so now and pushed it towards Mercury.

More aura gave him more use of that screwed up Semblance. Less agony. He didn't get much; maybe one more line. She couldn't sense either of them now as she had a moment before.

His eyes met hers as he accepted it. He gave her a smile. Grateful. She smiled back.

Ruby followed her example. Maybe she had forgotten. Maybe she had forced it out of her mind, such as the last time they had to do it. Maybe she wasn't sure she could. This time, it worked. Another painless line.

The mark wasn't even halfway gone when his aura shattered.

Mercury had to endure it now.

Another line gone. Mercury closed his eyes. He kept them closed.

Emerald noticed it then. The stench of cooked meat. Barbecue. She swallowed, fighting not to throw up.

That was why Mercury opened the window. He knew. Was that part of the reason he wanted them out?

The Maiden kept a steady pace. Remove a line. Take the finger off for five seconds. Remove the next line. A predictable and consistent pattern. That made it a little easier on him; he knew when the pain would come.

Mercury remained silent. He kept his back completely still. He didn't even alter his breathing pattern. He would occasionally swallow after the finger was removed. His nails dug into his palms, but didn't break the skin.

Ruby noticed. She slid her hand into Mercury's. He squeezed it gently.

 _Six…Five…Four…Three…Two…_

Forever after she started, the Maiden pulled her hand back for the final time.

No more black lines. The mark was gone completely.

 _That's it Merc. We're done. It's over._

Mercury's body was trembling now. It wasn't noticeable by the eye, but she could feel it. He was completely exhausted. Despite his attempts to hide his pain, it was obvious to her. She just couldn't imagine how much.

The Maiden left.

Ruby murmured to him. He let out a long, barely audible breath. How did his body feel tense and relaxed at the same time?

Emerald put a hand on the fresh burn he still had; the first the Maiden branded. She remembered channelling that power into her hand a few days before and it heated up the limb. She now wanted something different. Not scorch. Heal.

For whatever reason, it worked. When she pulled her hand away after she noticed the scorch of internal burning against the bones in her hand, the injury was gone, leaving a very faint white line underneath.

White line?

The line grew darker until it was a beautiful silver. Many new lines had appeared at the same time. A very different shape appeared, very slightly larger than the one they had finally gotten rid of.

 _What the hell is this?_

"So you are an Aura Wielder."

 _Huh?_

Ruby looked at Qrow. Mercury had shifted and was trying to stand. Obviously to him and not obviously to Ruby and Qrow, Emerald helped and allowed him to lean on her when he was up.

While he looked steady, Emerald was sure he wasn't at all.

"What's an Aura Wielder?" Ruby asked. Her eyes were back on Mercury; her hand still in his.

"An Aura Wielder can use their aura in ways others can't. Using it to heal yourself isn't an ability only they can use, but all of them could. One thing only they can do has something to do with the instinctive shield. For everyone else, they either have it or they don't. Aura Wielders can manipulate it, like having more aura protect your head than your arms."

Was that why Mercury was so good with his aura?

 _Maybe…_

"How about using it to ignore pain and injury after the damage has been done?"

"That's another technique, yes."

So Mercury's screwed up Semblance wasn't a Semblance at all.

"If…Aura Wielders have this tattoo, why has it only appeared now?" His voice was shaky, but he had a good point. Maybe if that had been there, Cinder wouldn't have been able to brand him in the first place.

"From what we can tell, it appears ten years to the day after their aura unlocks."

"Mine unlocked…three days after my seventh birthday."

"Then that Grimm mark must have stopped it from appearing. Not surprising if you couldn't manipulate your aura at that spot."

"So that new mark won't hurt him?" Ruby asked quickly.

"No. It's interesting though. Every Aura Wielder had a basic design, but the more complex the symbol, the more powerful they were. The middle line, at least one circle and the hexagon was the simplest we've seen."

"So Mercury's powerful."

Emerald already knew that. Right now though, he was struggling to stay on his feet. Still trembling.

"Yep. Afraid he's going to have to figure it out on his own though. There hasn't been a known Aura Wielder in sixty years." Qrow turned to leave, but stopped at the door. He turned back. "For the record Mercury, what you just did was incredible and very screwed up."

What Mercury just did was sickening.

Qrow closed the door behind him as he left.

Once it clicked, Mercury almost sagged. The Grimm mark may be gone, but he still felt the aftershocks of the agony forced on him to get rid of it. He wouldn't show weakness to Qrow or Yang. He would to them. Even downplayed as it was.

Emerald very carefully moved him. Ruby caught on instantly and shifted so she could take his weight. Emerald wasn't going far. She balanced one of the pillows on his bed on top of the other and flattened them against the wall. She sat against them, getting comfortable.

After she settled, Ruby helped Mercury over, silently encouraging him to lie down.

His head rested in her lap. One hand remained on his cheek; the other ran through his hair. Both she and he found the action soothing. Ruby carefully climbed onto the bed as well. She pressed her fingers into his back, gently and firmly. There was no need to mind the mark now. Emerald knew how relaxing that massage felt.

In moments, Mercury's eyes were closed. He was asleep in seconds.

Both girls continued.

* * *

Ruby couldn't sleep.

Mercury had woken from his nap just before midday. He hadn't been in any pain at all. For the first time, they had headed to Vale on a Sunday. Yang had challenged them to another round of mini golf (which Ruby won this time) and they had stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Mercury paid for that, saying it was the money he and Yang had won from that Atlas Cluedo game, both the first and the second game they played.

The morning had been horrific.

The afternoon had been just like any other: fun.

Ruby rolled over and studied the other bunk.

Emerald wasn't asleep on the top bunk. Ruby could tell that. She tended to be the more social of the two, but there were a select few people who she actually didn't mind talking to. Guarded to nearly everyone, but not to her. Knowing likes and dislikes; nearly anyone could do that. To be trusted with fears and her past was different. Ruby was one of the only two Emerald hugged. Did that mean something? She hoped so, even if it was safety alone.

Ruby's eyes trailed down. Where do you start with Mercury? He was curled up under the sheets, shaking slightly. Maybe he hadn't recovered completely from earlier and had put on a brave face. She wished he mentioned it to her.

Emerald shifted, twisting so she could land on the floor silently. She went to Mercury's bed and pulled him into her arms-

Was he having a nightmare?

Silently, Ruby slid down as well. After Mercury calmed, if Emerald didn't want her there, she would return to her bed. As she got closer, she heard something she never had before. Emerald was humming. A beautiful melody.

Ruby slowly reached out and ran a hand through his hair, like Emerald had earlier. Was it special to just them? Emerald smiled at her now.

Mercury settled. He didn't wake up.

Emerald pulled him closer and shifted them so Ruby could lie down. "Can't sleep?"

Ruby shook her head as she wrapped her arms around him as well. Just like that morning. "What was that tune?"

"I don't know. I just know it." Emerald moved one arm so it was wrapped around Ruby. It was cramped, but so very comfortable.

"Maybe you heard it when you were very young."

"Maybe."

"Does…Does he get nightmares often?" It wouldn't surprise her actually.

"Not often. This is his fifth since I've known him. His first ever was a fortnight after we came to Patch. This one…It was probably this morning's…activities that caused it."

Mercury had never had a nightmare before coming to Patch? "So this is a memory?"

"Most likely." Emerald sighed. "Ruby, if he's having a nightmare and I don't notice…Never try to read his aura."

"Why? If we know what…" Ruby trailed off. Now she understood. "You saw one of his memories."

"I caught the beginning. That was bad enough."

She bit her lip. "I-It didn't help him at all?" If it helped, it would be worth it.

"No. He never noticed I saw it. He was sad and disappointed when I told him."

That was not that surprising. Mercury had done a lot to bury Marcus Black. Maybe that was why he was having these nightmares and why it was only after he came to Patch. Ruby had always known Mercury's idea of a family was very wrong, but now she remembered Uncle Qrow saying that abused kids don't recognise that what is normal for them is not normal for most people. Maybe he's understanding how wrong his old home life was.

"It's over. No one is going to hurt him again."

Marcus was dead (good riddance). Cinder wasn't getting him.

Emerald's hand began to rub Ruby's back. "Go to sleep Ruby. Today's over."

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Ruby didn't argue. She lay her head down on the now calm Mercury. So, so comfortable.

Emerald began to hum again. Mercury's heartbeat was steady and strong.

 _Emery…_

Ruby's eyes drifted shut.


	14. Beginnings and Endings

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

 _Warm…Cozy…_

Her shoulder was shaking. She didn't like that.

"Come on Ruby. It's time to wake up."

"Don't want to," she mumbled, eyes still shut. So comfortable…

Her pillow was rumbling. She could hear chuckling.

"Ruby, we've had a lie in. Now we need to get up."

"No." She snuggled further into the warmth. She was _not_ getting up.

The rumbling grew stronger as she heard the laugh again.

"You're encouraging her Merc."

"Well, I can't exactly get up with you two on me, can I? In fact, you two seem to have gotten into the habit of using me as a bed."

"You're comfy."

"I can't see how."

"Ruby's showing you quite well."

Ruby heard the words, but it took forever for her to register their meaning. The voices belonged to Emery. That processed quickly. They were very close…Almost as if…

Black fabric met her vision when Ruby finally forced her eyes open. Her pillow wasn't black.

 _Hang on…_

Ruby turned her head so she was looking up. Soft grey eyes and sparkling red eyes. Both were very amused, not upset at all. Her cheeks were burning, but she didn't take her eyes away.

"You're _very_ comfy."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "That so?"

Emerald chuckled. "Looks like we're stuck here all day, Merc."

We? Ruby then noticed her arm had wrapped around Emerald at some point in the night. She did not want to think on how red her face was. Emerald hadn't moved it though, so maybe it could stay there.

"I-I wouldn't mind that." Ruby would love that.

"As much as I hate to break up this lovely scene…"

 _Oh no._

Mortified, Ruby buried her head back into Mercury's chest, much to his amusement. She did not want to deal with her sister right now. Emerald gently patted and rubbed her back.

"…I think Professor Port would mind."

Right. School. They had Grimm Studies at nine.

"What time is it?" Ruby asked, her voice a little muffled. She was not looking at her sister. That was just begging for trouble.

"Ten to nine."

Huh. Ten to nine.

 _Ten to nine?!_

Ruby's eyes sprang open. Releasing Emerald, she moved her hands so she was pushing up on the actual bed rather than her (not complaining) pillow. Surely they would have moved her if they didn't want her there? Emery normally did what they wanted but they listened to Ruby. Did they not mind this or was it that they woke up and Ruby was there?

Ruby's head hurt. She would think about it through the day.

Very reluctantly, she backed up and crawled off the bed altogether. She regretted that instantly. Maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt…

 _No. We've got class._

They were still smiling. Neither of them had moved. They hadn't come to Beacon for their education.

Ruby muttered something (even she didn't know what) and dashed into the bathroom. With the door closed, she leaned against it and let out a long breath. What had just happened?

"What's with her?" Mercury sounded genuinely confused.

 _Please don't tell them Yang._

"You'll have to ask her. How long have you been awake anyway?"

"About an hour." Emerald. Emery had woken up an hour ago and let her sleep?

"Huh. Now up you get. We need to get going."

Ruby let out a breath. This was going to be a very long day. At least she could think about it in class.

She knew her mistake the second she made it.

While they had gotten to class on time, Ruby hadn't really been paying attention to the order in which they sat down. As a result, she was sitting next to Yang with Emery on Yang's other side. In a Grimm Studies class.

Maybe if she ignored her, she wouldn't get interrogated.

"Well Ruby? What happened last night?"

Ruby winced. Maybe not. "Nothing happened." _Liar._

"Uh huh. So nothing happened and magically, you wound up in Mercury's bed. With both of them. Looking very snug."

"Err…W-Well…" The fact that Yang might catch them hadn't entered Ruby's mind last night. In fact, Yang hadn't entered Ruby's mind at all last night. Or that morning until she actually spoke. "I-It's a small bed." That came out very wrong. Never mind that, where did that even come from?

The chuckle she heard definitely did _not_ come from Yang. Why couldn't Yang have done this later? When they were away from Emery? Or preferably not at all.

"Was that all you were thinking Ruby?" _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_ "I'm sure that can be helped."

Yang was evil.

 _Feel free to chip in at any time Emery._

Ruby knew they were listening. Mercury wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Err…I plead the Fifth?" That worked for companions as well, right?

What had happened last night? Mercury had a nightmare; his Gems comforted him. That should be simple. At the time, it had been.

But.

 _His_ Gems. _Her_ Quicksilver. Ruby _liked_ that. She had loved slipping to sleep in their arms. It was different, but a _very good_ different. Something she would greatly love every single night.

 _My Emery._

Emerald had been the one to allow Ruby to sleep in the bed in the first place. Neither of them had moved her after they woke up and even waited until the last possible minutes to wake her up. Maybe Mercury had been upset as well as confused when she left (fled) in such a hurry. Neither had been against the idea of staying there for a while longer.

Ruby had never wanted to get up.

"I'm not sure that's fair Ruby."

 _Shut up._

Think. Think. What did she have for the rest of the day? History and Combat Class. Great. If Ruby could survive Yang's interrogation now, she wouldn't get the chance again until later tonight.

"We don't fight fair," Ruby answered as an odd comment from Mercury months ago came to mind. She would not say 'it doesn't matter' because it did matter to her. Despite what she said initially, it wasn't nothing and they all knew it. She just did not want to discuss it with Yang.

"All's fair in love and war, right?" Yang's cheerfulness was very unwelcome right now.

Ruby groaned. She should not have talked to Yang the other day. She had been worried about Yang going into Overprotective Sister Mode. Apparently, she should have been a lot more worried about something else.

"Yang. Please stop." Why couldn't Professor Port have brought a Grimm to this class?

To Ruby's absolute amazement, Yang did drop it. That made her all the more suspicious, but she didn't look a gift horse in the mouth right now. Yang was up to something, but Ruby didn't know what.

* * *

Amber had been curious. She had attended Haven when she was younger and had wondered about how Beacon was different. When she asked Headmaster Ozpin, he had given her a list of subjects along with their times and she had observed a few. The last class was the most intriguing to her from the beginning: Combat Class.

By pure coincidence, this happened to be with the first years.

Most of them ignored her, just like the other classes had. About six gave her a second look before sitting down. She had been genuinely surprised to see Mercury with them; she had expected him to take the day to rest. Apparently not.

Neither he nor Emerald seemed bothered by her presence.

Ruby was the first to volunteer for a spar. Her opponent was named Pyrrha.

Qrow was very proud of his nieces. Amber remembered Ruby from the day before. A gentle soul. She didn't remember seeing Yang at all. Why hadn't she been there with the other three? Maybe they weren't as close.

Ruby seemed to take after Qrow, even using her own version of his scythe. While Qrow used technique and power, Ruby relied on technique and speed. She was certainly very skilled, but she would miscalculate sometimes. It was an easy mistake to make against an opponent that moved around continuously.

The match was close, but Pyrrha won. Ruby took it well and there were no hard feelings. The two were obviously friends.

The spar between George and Russell was nowhere near as friendly. Both used close range weapons and it very quickly descended into a fight between sheer power. One thing the inexperienced were very fond of was meeting power with power. Rather than dodge and attack, the two chose to collide over and over. This drained their aura quickly and with a strike that was more to do with luck than skill, George knocked Russell into the red.

Glynda chose the final matchup: Jaune and Melody vs Mercury.

There was a one second silence before the whispers started up. From what Amber could hear, Mercury had never been called on in class before. Odd. What was the reasoning behind that? She did catch that he had been part of a fight on the bullhead on the day they arrived at Beacon. The one he had fought and defeated easily was George, who was considered a good fighter.

Jaune was not considered a good fighter but Melody was.

Amber watched carefully as the three entered the arena. Surely Glynda had an idea of Mercury's capabilities. Why match him up with these two?

Jaune started the fight by charging at his opponent. Mercury spun to the side to dodge, then skidded under the whip from Melody.

Qrow had told her about Emerald very early on. A homeless girl. That explained the illusion she saw right at the beginning. She had had green hair and red eyes too. In honesty, Amber held no anger towards her. However, Qrow had told her nothing about Mercury. She had seen scars; there were many possible explanations for some with others being very obvious. Given his age, she was willing to give him a chance.

Amber was also very sure that Qrow had had a different reason for taking them in. So far, he had been right to do so. Even if they didn't give them any information (they had), it was obvious they weren't the same people.

The whip sailed towards Mercury again. He brought his arm up and allowed it to wrap around the limb. He grabbed it and pulled. Melody chose to let go rather than be pulled into an attack and he threw it aside before running in.

Most of the scars that covered his back came from a whip.

A strong kick knocked Jaune aside. Melody obviously wasn't used to close quarters combat. Aiming for very strategic points, Mercury knocked her aura into the red and out of the fight. Jaune swung again. Mercury ducked underneath it and flipped backwards, hitting Jaune into the air. He crashed down with his aura also in the red.

That match certainly was quick.

"Congratulations Mr Black. Fighting against multiple opponents requires more strategy than merely fighting one on one. You need to be aware of where all of your opponents are at the same time and you also need to make sure you don't accidentally hit your partner if numbers are in your favour."

Melody had seemed reluctant to attack. Maybe her weapon was designed for a wide range.

The students began to file out, chatting animatedly. It would seem that the teams were doing well. Once the final student had left, Amber approached Glynda. "They certainly are a lively lot."

"Yes." She managed to sound proud and exasperated at the same time. "They all have potential, but some are more focused than others."

"They all have much to learn," Amber agreed. Some didn't seem to understand the job of a Huntsman was to protect the people. "Are all the years like them?"

"Most of them. The majority gain more personal insight as they spend more time on field missions. Everyone has their reasons for wishing to be trained. How are you enjoying the school so far?"

"Greatly. I heard Beacon's hosting the Vytal Festival this year?"

"Yes. The preparations are almost complete. Will you be here for it?"

"I intend to be, but I've got a few people to see before that." Including Azure, her friend who spent six months on the street after her parents died. Amber had met her a few years after.

"Understandable. Hopefully this year won't be too different from previous years."

"Hopefully," Amber agreed. It would seem that this year, there was a genuine threat to their time of peace.

Glynda sighed and fixed her with a soft glance. "Do you agree with those two being here, Amber?"

Amber didn't need to ask who she meant. It was something she had thought about since Qrow said he was taking them in. "They are young and are easily going to be watched for around four years. Maybe they will change."

Amber had been told the story of the Maidens before she had become one. In the story, the Fall Maiden had encouraged the man to be grateful for what he had. Having nothing is what got Emerald into that criminal life in the first place. Azure had been affected greatly by her time of being homeless. Six months compared to around sixteen years. It did not excuse what Emerald tried to do, but Amber couldn't bring herself to be too angry with her anymore.

Mercury disturbed her. When Qrow had approached her and told her about the idea that he and Headmaster Ozpin had about removing a Grimm mark, she had been apprehensive, but had agreed it was for the best. A human Grimm. Insane. Qrow had been very clear: don't touch the mark itself. Draw around it and hope to change it. Touching that mark causes Mercury unimaginable agony.

No matter how she felt about him, she never wanted to torture him.

Yet that is exactly what ended up happening. His aura had shattered quickly when the plan changed. The girls had held him close, but it wasn't to keep him still. It was to give him comfort and strength. Emerald's actions weren't a surprise, but Ruby seemed just as fond of him. Just as protective. If he cared about her the same way, then maybe he could change. Maybe he already was. He had been willing to endure that agony to prevent his old employer's plan for him. Qrow had said Mercury had refused to return to Cinder, though he gave no details on how they met again.

What disturbed Amber was that he did not scream. Not one whimper. Not one tremble.

No human should be able to do that.

There was hope for Emerald. Maybe there was hope for Mercury too. If not, then Amber already knew she could defeat them. It would just be a waste of life.

* * *

It was easy avoiding Yang for the day.

A little too easy.

Ruby had immediately slipped out of their final class as Yang had been the one following her and headed outside. She would catch up with Emery later. She needed to sort her thoughts out first. Without Yang's teasing.

There wasn't really much left to sort out.

Ruby had never seen Emery as siblings. They had always been very close friends from that night she had spent with them in Coldhedge. She and Emerald had shared a bed that night with Mercury watching over them. The main reason was that there wasn't another bed in the house and Emerald was freezing, despite how hot her skin was. As it was the same thing Ruby had had and Mercury hadn't caught it yet, there wasn't a worry about passing it on.

She hadn't thought much of the event at the time. She had felt safe with them there and wanted to help them. It was little more than that.

Sleeping in their arms last night definitely felt like more and Mercury hadn't even been fully aware of it. He hadn't shoved them off when he did wake up though. Also, when he had commented that she and Emerald used him as a bed, he didn't sound upset. He sounded more bothered when Ruby ran off.

Emerald…She was more affectionate than Merc. She was the one who wanted Ruby to stay last night. She had liked the idea of staying there a few more minutes, even if it made them late for class. Actually, she had said she wouldn't mind staying there all day.

Ruby loved Emery. But did she _love_ them?

She didn't really need to think about it. Yes.

That left the question of what she was supposed to do now.

Ruby found herself standing in front of the statue. Huntsman and Huntress standing proud. At some point, night had fallen. The cracked moon almost looked whole. She had never seen it that complete.

She couldn't stay out here all night. She would have to face them eventually. She could do this.

There was no one to bump into on the way back to her dorm room. Mondays were normally very slow and everyone tended to want an early night. Most people spent Mondays with their team.

 _Where I should be. They're more than my team though._

Her sister and her Emery.

Ruby stopped before turning into the final corridor. Despite having them on her mind all day, she hadn't been paying attention to where they were. Emerald was (most likely) now in the dorm. Mercury was in the corridor opposite and when he turned the corner to see her, he smirked.

"Have a nice wander?"

"Yeah." Ruby wasn't sure what to say.

Mercury's smirk softened. "We need to talk Ruby. The three of us."

"Yeah." At least she didn't have to bring it up.

Mercury wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Rather than just let him, Ruby snuggled a little closer. He rubbed her arm and together the two headed back to the dorm. Hopefully Emerald was the only one in.

There were two things Ruby immediately noticed about their dorm room. First: Emerald was the only one in. Second: their bunk bed had been taken apart and was now two beds pushed together to resemble a double bed.

"Did you do that Em?" Mercury asked the figure resting in the middle.

"Nope." Emerald reached over to grab a piece of paper folded on the pillow next to her. When Ruby took it, she instantly recognised her sister's handwriting. She detached herself from Mercury and unfolded it while holding it at an angle so he couldn't see. Why did it only have her name on it?

'Out with my old gang tonight. Got to be 17 for the club (sorry Ruby) and we've got some catching up to do. Won't be back till very late so don't wait up for me. Love Yang. P.S. You did want a bigger bed sis ;)'

Ruby groaned. There was a very good reason why it only had her name on it. Thank goodness.

"Ruby?"

"Yang did it and she's not back till later." Yang's old gang. Interesting that they chose tonight of all nights to go out. Yang was very, very evil.

"Ah."

Mercury chose to sit on Yang's bed rather than lie next to Emerald. Emerald forced herself up so she was seated and not lying down. Ruby remained standing, not sure how to say what had been on her mind all day.

Emery didn't seem to know either. The silence dragged.

"Ruby." Emerald seemed hesitant. Unsure. "Did this morning feel…different for you?"

Okay. Simple. "Yeah. A _good_ different."

"Why?" Mercury had asked it. The simple question with a very complex answer.

"Err…Well…" _Come on Ruby._ _You can do this._ "I…" _Just spit it out._ "Iloveyou." Face burning, Ruby stared at the floor. She shifted from foot to foot. Her heart was hammering.

At first, there wasn't a verbal response. Had they not heard her mumble?

"Who are you talking to Ruby?"

Ruby swallowed. The question was easy. "Both of you." But their response was unknown.

Had she screwed this up? She really hoped not. But she didn't look up.

Two arms wrapped around her. She wasn't standing alone now. Mercury was behind her with Emerald in front. Both had an arm wrapped around her and another around each other.

This…wasn't what Ruby was expecting. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this wasn't it.

"Emery?" Ruby forced her gaze upwards. Emerald's features were worryingly difficult to read.

"Is this what you want Ruby? Are _we_ who you want?"

Mercury's thumb traced her stomach. "If you want to step back Ruby, now is the best time to do it."

Step…back…?

That's what they had done, wasn't it? That's how they knew what the other felt. They had stepped back because…

 _They really care._

Ruby didn't want to step back. She wanted _them_. They were very special to her and she wanted them to know it. These feelings weren't going to go away. Time hadn't made them weaker; they had only grown stronger.

"I want my Emery. I don't want anybody else. I never will."

"Never is a long time Ruby," Emerald pointed out. Was it just Ruby or were her eyes a shade lighter?

"I know." Ruby was not going to regret this or change her mind.

"So what do you want from us Ruby?" Mercury had a good question.

That Ruby didn't know how to answer. She hadn't thought about that. She leant back a little more into him. Felt his heart hammering.

"I'm not sure…"

Emerald stepped forward a little and closed her hug. "How about we take it one day at a time then?"

Ruby felt a kiss on the top of her head. Her heart was still racing but from excitement, not fear.

"Okay."

One day at a time.

* * *

Yang returned to Beacon at around 3am, nowhere near as drunk as she let her friends think. They had gone home before that, with only Raine attending Beacon and she was the year above. She had a feeling she was going to be seeing a lot more of them and other students.

Why did her little sister have to grow up?

Maybe now she could get angry about it like she should.

"Miss Xiao Long, I understand there is not a set curfew but I won't be impressed if you fall asleep in my class tomorrow morning."

Uh oh. Somehow, Yang had managed to completely overlook Oobleck when she entered the school. That hadn't been smart.

"My team needed to work a few things out."

"Ah, I had noticed they seemed distracted. Well then, you won't mind if a give you a quick review quiz in the morning?"

Yang did, but she supposed it could be worse. As long as the rest of class didn't realise they were the ones responsible for it. "Of course." This was where she wished she could actually talk to Mercury when reading his aura. She could cheat the answers off him then.

"Excellent. Off you go then."

Yang didn't need to be told twice. If Goodwitch had been the one to catch her, she definitely would have been in a lot of trouble.

When she reached the dorm, she hesitated. What would she find? Taking the bed apart with Nora had been fun (although she would admit it was very easy). Given last night, she should be expecting them to be asleep…together. If not, well, it was simple enough to push the beds apart again.

A part of her hoped they were curled up together like they had been before. Ruby…All three of them actually…They had been so happy this morning. Ruby hadn't wanted to get up and Yang couldn't remember the last time she had wanted a lie in.

The rest of her didn't want Ruby dating until long after she graduated. Worst comes to worst, she would leave the threatening to Dad. All of them knew that Mercury had been trying a lot harder in that fight than Dad had. He hadn't let Merc win, but he wasn't putting everything into it.

Given that he saw Emerald as a third daughter, Mercury might be in quite a bit of trouble. Uncle Qrow had always been the one to handle him.

 _Here goes…_

Yang's hand was shaking slightly as she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

 _Cute._

Ruby was snuggled in the middle with her Emery on either side. She was…smiling.

Mercury lifted his head when he heard the door. When he saw Yang, he put it down and closed his eyes again. Emerald and Mercury seemed very happy as well.

 _So that's it then._

Seeing them like this was easy.

The rest of the time was going to be hard.


	15. History of Violence

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Like normal, Mercury stirred at around dawn. Ruby had an arm wrapped around her Emery and his arms were wrapped around his Gems. Emerald was the same. It only took him a few seconds to remember what had happened the night before.

 _My Gems._

Mercury could get used to this.

He had instinctively leaned his body back a bit when he woke up as he got his bearings. Ruby didn't seem to like that, despite still being asleep. She gave a soft whine of protest and turned her head towards him. Amused, he shifted forward again so he was comfortable. She immediately nuzzled him and squirmed a little closer. This had an effect on Emerald, who also snuggled closer.

Mercury let out a quiet chuckle, careful not to wake them.

 _One day at a time, huh?_

Mercury wasn't entirely sure what he wanted from his Gems that he didn't already have. This new sleeping arrangement was something he definitely liked.

This was normally the time he got up. Still, their first class wasn't until ten so he was having a lie in. He was far too comfortable to get up and Ruby obviously didn't want him to. There wasn't anything he needed to get up for before that anyway.

Almost against his will, his eyes slipped shut in a doze.

He came alert again when Emerald's arm pulled him closer. He opened his eyes, but it still didn't seem late enough for class. She was only just stirring and was obviously in no hurry.

Ruby eyes were open and she had a soft smile on her face. Mercury had no idea when she woke up.

"Morning," she murmured.

"Morning," he purred. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the nose.

She chuckled, her cheeks a little red. She buried her head in his chest and settled again.

He sighed and glanced at Emerald, who was watching with an amused smile. "What is it with you two using me as a pillow?"

Emerald raised an eyebrow. Her arm snaked back down to rest her hand on his cheek. "You're ours."

Well, she had a point. He certainly wouldn't be happy with anyone else with them. "Well, as long as we forgo the leash and collar…I think I'll allow it."

"How very kind of you."

"Glad we agree."

Yeah, Mercury definitely wasn't getting up yet.

* * *

The pool at Beacon was normally open 10 until 6 every day, save for weekends when it was 9 until 7. However, on Wednesdays, teams could book the pool for them alone for an hour after it officially closes. These bookings were rarely used and there were always slots available.

RMEY booked the pool for 9pm. Yang didn't come along as she had gone swimming earlier that day when the team were initially invited by JWMP. Emerald didn't know how to swim. Mercury had learned, but then admitted he hadn't been in the deep water since he lost his legs.

Needless to say, neither had been interested in going to the pool.

The building had two different pools. One was shallow on one end and got steadily deeper. The other was very deep on both ends and was very good for swimming lengths.

Ruby enjoyed swimming. Within minutes of slipping into the water, she was gliding around. It was actually quite peaceful, with so few people here. She let out a happy sigh and looked around.

Mercury was by the deep end. He had gotten changed into a pair of older joggers, saying if he did somehow end up in the water, he would be dressed. Ruby wasn't entirely sure if that was the only reason, but at the moment he seemed more concerned about being sure he wouldn't drown. He wasn't wearing a shirt at least and he had also taken his arm guards off. Very carefully, he lowered himself into the water.

Ruby watched him as he let go of the side. He didn't immediately sink and seemed calm. After a few minutes and it was obvious Mercury was okay, Ruby looked to the other end of the pool.

Emerald was in the water, but was only up to her waist. She didn't seem to want to go any deeper. That wasn't very surprising. At least she had gotten into the water on her own.

Naturally, Ruby swam over. She didn't actually know how you teach someone to swim, but getting them used to being in the water seemed like a good start.

"Are you okay Emerald?"

Emerald blinked and looked at her. "I'm fine." She followed Ruby a little farther out, but stopped when the water was just above her shoulders.

Now Emerald had to go out of her depth. Not something she was very willing to do. Ruby was wondering what to suggest next when she heard and saw Mercury join them. He looked quite comfortable in the water.

"Come on Em. A few more steps."

Emerald scoffed and shook her head. "This is deep enough."

Mercury hummed. He glanced at Ruby, who was on her tip toes to keep her head above water. She tried to shrug at him, saying she wasn't sure what to do. Pushing Emerald could make her afraid of the water rather than just cautious of it and she didn't want that. There was no need to rush her. Ruby was struggling to tread water at this depth though and wouldn't be a good demonstrator.

He seemed to get the message. He moved in front of Emerald and placed his hands on her shoulders. His fingers moved down and began to dig in a little. She relaxed, but also gave him a very suspicious look. Her arms went around his waist.

"Do you trust me Emerald?"

"Idiot. Of course I do." She let out a sigh. "What did you have in mind?"

"Put your arms around my neck. Without choking me."

Emerald gave an annoyed tut, but her smile showed it was in jest. Emerald hung her arms loosely over his shoulders. His arms went around her waist and he lifted her up a little.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just going to move back a few steps, that's all. I'll still be standing on the bottom." But Emerald wouldn't be. "Then Ruby can show you how to be a frog."

"Hey! _Swim_! Swim like a frog!" There was a difference. A big difference.

Emerald chuckled. After a moment to think on it, she nodded. "Okay."

The slope was fairly steep, so Mercury only needed to take three steps back. It was also enough for Ruby to start treading water as well. She could see why he recommended breast stroke first: the arm movement was similar and you could keep your head above the water if you wanted to.

"I see what you mean by a frog," Emerald commented as she watched. Her grip on Merc was strong, but she wasn't choking him. She was a lot calmer than Ruby was worried she would be.

It wasn't easy balancing moving slowly enough for Emerald to catch the movements and quickly enough to make sure she didn't sink, but Ruby thought she did a good job. The last thing she needed was for Em to think the stroke wouldn't work. She circled them five times before finding her old spot. On her tip toes, she kept moving her arms as if she were still swimming.

"With enough practice, you don't think about it," Ruby told her.

"How long did it take you?"

Ruby frowned, thinking back. She couldn't remember a time when she couldn't swim. "I don't know. Sorry." She tilted her head at Mercury, who chuckled.

"Mine was a very literal sink or swim approach."

 _Damn Marcus._

Well, they weren't using that method to teach Emerald.

Mercury stepped forward again and carefully put her down. Once again, she had her feet at the bottom of the pool and the water only came up to her shoulders.

Emerald started to move her arms to mimic Ruby's actions. She groaned. "I feel like such an idiot."

Ruby giggled.

"Eh, could be worse," Mercury commented idly. "We could have started with doggy paddle to teach you front crawl."

Emerald stopped moving. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"It's not that bad Emerald," Ruby smiled. "It is just us here." Although, Ruby wasn't entirely sure why Yang had chosen not to come along.

Emerald returned her smile. "Yeah."

"Let me take your mind off it Em," Mercury suggested. He had a very faint silver glow around him. His hand came up above the water and his palm faced away from them.

A swirl of mist appeared close to the hand. It slowly shifted into a shape and became more solid. Soon it was completely opaque. Four legs, a long body and wings that were flapping.

Ruby was staring at a completely silver and winged fox.

"Wow!" Ruby reached forward and touched the snout. It was warm and…familiar.

Mercury shuddered. "Okay, that feels weird."

"What is that Merc?" Emerald asked with almost wide eyes.

"That's my aura. About 70 of it. When I put in less, it looks…Well it looks like this." The shape became less strict and it returned to a mist shape, although Ruby could see the animal if she squinted. When he saw her pout, Mercury made it completely solid again. "I'm still learning to control it though."

"What do you mean?" Ruby poked it again. It almost felt like when she was aura reading him. That made sense.

"I'm constantly thinking 'flap wings'. If I don't…" The wings stilled and the canine dropped. There wasn't a splash when it hit the water, but Ruby could see the shape on the bottom of the pool. Mercury then had that smirk on his face. "On the other hand…" His eyes closed and he completely stilled.

The fox flew up. Again, there was no disturbance to the water. To her amazement, the fox flew close to Ruby. Was it just her or were the eyes a lot darker, almost grey? The fox landed on her head.

"Hey!"

Instinctively, her aura focused on it. She heard Mercury's laugh as if she were reading him and the fox leapt off, this time landing on Emerald. Finally, it spread it wings and did a circuit of the pool before hovering near them again.

Mercury opened his eyes as the fox returned to its almost stationary position, save for its beating wings.

"Awesome! Do you think that's your Semblance?"

Mercury shrugged. "Ruby, for all we know, Aura Wielders don't have a Semblance. I don't really care."

Emerald also reached out and touched it. "How long?"

He frowned at that. "I'm not sure. For a few months, my aura sometimes acted odd when I meditated. I tried to push it outside my body, but I kept hitting a barrier. When that Grimm mark was gone, I tried again. I got the mist almost instantly. The fox appeared this morning."

"Why a winged fox?"

"No idea."

Ruby wasn't sure about that. It was the same shape as the cufflink she and Emerald had gotten him for his birthday. Was that a coincidence? Somehow, she didn't think so.

Emerald ran a hand against its side. "Does that hurt?"

"No. It just…feels very odd." He chuckled. "I'm having a lot of fun seeing what I can do with it."

Ruby giggled. She could certainly think of a few ideas. When his thoughts shifted back to swimming though, the fox vanished. His focus had to be completely on his meditation or he really struggled to even make the mist appear.

The distraction had worked. Emerald was much more relaxed.

"Make the circle a little wider Em," Merc suggested.

Emerald didn't go any deeper that day. She chose to keep her feet on the floor, but was fairly comfortable in the water. That Wednesday 9pm to 10pm swim soon became routine.

* * *

As they had History at 2.30pm on a Thursday, RMEY decided to grab an early lunch. Most of the other students in the cafeteria were from the upper years with only JWMP and ZBRN being from their year.

Ruby looked at one of the other teams, then looked back at her sister. "Are you sure?"

"Totally!" How did Ruby not see it? "She so has a thing for him."

"I don't know. I just thought they were good friends."

"That's what he thinks Ruby. He's just too oblivious to see it."

"It probably doesn't help that Weiss seems to demand her attention," Mercury commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had a thing for her."

Yang scoffed. "Do you honestly believe that?"

"Nope. I think it's more about friends with benefits."

"Exactly! Now Jaune on the other hand…"

Emerald shook her head. "What would she see in him?"

Ruby frowned. "That's not fair Em. Jaune's a good friend."

"I know that. But Pyrrha's supposed to be the Invincible Girl. It's just a…strange pair."

Mercury shook his head with a smirk. He didn't say what he was thinking. Ruby nudged him and he chuckled. Emerald just sighed with a small smile.

Yang could see she was winning this discussion. She opened her mouth to continue when she saw Mercury's smirk turn to a frown. His eyes were on team ZBRN. Specifically: Blake.

"Now that's…interesting."

Yang's first response was to ask if he wanted to start a harem. She bit it down and took a deep breath. That was cruel. Mercury wasn't like that. It was just hard.

"What is?" Emerald asked.

"We know Blake's a Faunus." All of them had noted the bow twitched and a few other behaviours convinced them she was a cat Faunus. "But now I know why I was cautious of her." He placed a hand on Emerald's shoulder. She blinked and immediately looked at Blake.

Curious, Yang leaned closer. "Well?"

Emerald tilted so she was right by Yang's ear. "Mercury remembers her from when we went to see the White Fang with Cinder. She's a member."

Blake? White Fang? Ridiculous.

Then again, Mercury wasn't a liar…

Yang grinned. "Let's find out." She stood up and stretched. "I'll be right back."

Ruby frowned and moved as if she wanted to stand. Mercury placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Yang winked at her and Ruby settled with a smile.

Nora was up to her usual antics and her whole team was laughing with her about something. Zephyr saw her approaching first and struggled to calm down. He waved her over.

"Hey Yang, help us out. Which do you think would be a better dancer: a Beowulf or an Ursa?"

They weren't even close. "Beowulf, definitely."

"Ha! Told you so!" Apparently Nora agreed.

Zephyr palmed his face. "You guys have no idea what you're talking about."

Ren was stoic through most of this. "I'm afraid you're outnumbered Zephyr."

"Then you're all crazy."

They all had a good laugh at that.

Blake's chuckled died down. "So are you joining us Yang?"

As much as she would like to… "Actually I need a word. You mind?"

"Sure."

While they were fairly far away, Yang took Blake to the dorms. She glanced at the two different set ups of the beds before sitting on the double bed. Yang sat opposite, wondering what exactly to say to her that didn't sound like an accusation.

Blake spoke first. "How are you holding up Yang? With the rest of your team?"

Yang frowned. "Are they that obvious?"

"No. I just thought it was a matter of time though. They had always seemed…closer than most." Blake smiled. "The double quilt on the bed told me I was right."

Double quilt? Now she looked, Yang saw it. When had they done that? She sighed. "It's…hard but I'm managing."

"It can't be easy watching your little sister grow up."

Now she thought about it, Yang had never asked. "Do you have a little sister?"

"No, but I have…" Oddly, Blake trailed off there with her head down for a moment, "had…friends with little sisters. They didn't like whoever they were dating."

"Yep." Friends, huh? Blake didn't sound like someone who was part of a terrorist organisation. "Blake…" There really was no easy way to ask. "Were you part of the White Fang once?"

Blake froze. Her eyes flickered to the door and the window. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we've known you're a Faunus from about three weeks in. Today Mercury remembered he saw you with the White Fang once. Are you still with them now?"

Blake's eyes narrowed. "So that's why you dragged me in here and locked the door? So you could interrogate me?"

Lock the…? Yang face-palmed. Her fingers went into her pocket and tossed the key to her. "Sorry. That was a force of habit. Em and Merc are paranoid like you wouldn't believe." Yang shook her head. "Look Blake, I don't mean to interrogate you. I just…want to know."

Blake picked up the key and studied it. She then placed it back on the bed. "Why are you asking?"

"Blake…Do you know why Ruby was accepted into Beacon early?"

"No. I don't think anyone else in the school does."

"Ruby stopped a Dust robbery by a guy called Torchwick. He was with someone that night." Talking about Cinder in detail was going to incriminate Ruby's Emery, so Yang wasn't going to go into it. "Well, with the amount of Dust that's been stolen, a lot of people would be needed to move it and-"

"You think the White Fang are involved."

"Yes."

"The White Fang wouldn't work with a human."

True, Mercury had said they had refused, but Cinder didn't like taking no for an answer. Threats backed up by Maiden power would work. That didn't matter right now.

"Blake, are you still with them?"

Again, she glanced at the door. She then looked back at Yang and studied her. Suddenly, she had to stop herself from squirming.

"Why do you care?"

"I'm not going to judge you Blake. I just want to know."

Again, there was a brief silence.

"No I'm not. Yang…You have to understand that the White Fang weren't always like that. I always agreed with their cause but recently, not their tactics. I was one of them since I was very young and they used peaceful protests back then. Now though…The more violent they became, the more uncertain I was. After…I quit. Ran and never looked back."

Yang did wonder about the reason, her tipping point, but didn't ask. "I'm sorry Blake."

Blake shook her head. "Yang, I get that you think they're responsible and I can kind of see why but…it doesn't make sense. I don't think the White Fang are responsible for the thefts."

"No. Torchwick is doing the robberies. We thought maybe he and the White Fang were working with the same person."

"You know more."

Yang swallowed. Blake had just told her something she normally wouldn't tell anyone and Yang was keeping secrets. "Yes, but it's not my story to tell. I promised. I promise you though: I won't tell anyone yours."

"Thanks. I've been…trying to get away from that." A scroll buzzed. Blake pulled it out of her pocket and smiled. "I've got to go, otherwise Nora's going to eat all the pancakes. You can't knock Ren's cooking."

"Do they know Blake?"

She slipped the scroll back into her pocket. "No. They're good friends, but I'm not ready for them to know. I'm not sure I'll ever tell them."

"Well, if you need anyone to talk to, we're willing to listen." On second thought… "Okay, forget Emerald and Mercury. They're not great to talk to about things. Me and Ruby though, we'll always listen. Just come find us."

"I…Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"What are friends for?"

"Yang, can you promise me something else? I know that you can't betray their trust, probably Emerald or Mercury's, but if you do learn anything about the White Fang, could you let me know?"

"Sure thing. Now, how good of a cook is Ren?"

That brought a smile to the girl's face. "Brilliant. Come and find out."

Yang grinned.

* * *

Ruby loved Combat Class. Especially Combat Class last thing on a Friday.

This week, Professor Goodwitch had been focusing on handicap matches. They had been great fun and team RMEY were currently undefeated. That was something to be proud of, like when she and Emerald took down Sawyer, George and Daisy of team SVDG.

For all the trouble they had at the beginning of the year, Jaune and Weiss were fighting pretty well together. Jaune had improved a lot since Emerald Forest. He had been learning from Pyrrha and Weiss and Pyrrha had flattened CRDL the day before. That had been awesome.

Jaune and Weiss vs Nora, Ren and Zephyr. Winners: ZNR.

"That's too bad," Yang muttered.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "But he's gotten a lot better."

"Well, he's gone from useless baggage to distraction baggage," Mercury commented. That was probably as close to a compliment he was going to give on Jaune's fighting skills.

"Be nice."

Mercury threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She let out a small squeak of surprise, that just made Emery laugh, but she didn't push him away or try to squirm out of his grip. Instead she giggled.

"And now for our final match…" Professor Goodwitch appeared to be looking for combatants rather than using a random generator. "Mercury vs team HION."

Aww. That meant Mercury had to get up. He had a very evil smirk on his face as he headed down.

Hang on. Team HION?

Emerald shifted a little closer. "Are you okay, Ruby?"

"Fine. I just…don't understand those girls sometimes."

"You mean they bully you."

Uh oh. "They don't-"

"Yes they do. They haven't been subtle about it Ruby."

Ruby sighed. It hurt but… "It wasn't that bad."

Emerald wrapped on arm around her waist. "They still shouldn't have done it. Now they'll learn not to do it again."

What followed couldn't be called a match. It couldn't even be called a spar. Mercury absolutely humiliated them. He danced around their attacks, silently taunting them and taking them down in a few hits. In a few minutes, not only had he shattered their aura but he smashed them hard into the side of the arena. They barely moved. That was no accident.

Mercury raised his arms in an over exaggerated shrug. "Oops?"

"That will be detention Mr Black." Professor Goodwitch was not impressed. "Miss Sustrai, would you mind escorting the team to the infirmary?"

Emerald smiled, almost innocently. "Of course Professor." She gently rubbed Ruby's arm. "I'll be right back."

Ruby was very sure she wouldn't be bothered by those girls again and didn't want to know want Emerald was about to say to them. "Thanks." Mercury had gone way overboard though.

Ida did manage to stand up, but there was clearly something wrong with her elbow. Mercury did hit her pretty hard there. Emerald gave Mercury a pat on the back as they passed each other and approached the girls on the floor.

"That is all for today. Class dismissed."

Yang stood up and stretched. "Well, that was brutal."

"Too brutal," Ruby murmured. Okay she got that they were angry at how they treated her but that was going too far.

"Eh, I disagree. I would've done the same thing." Yang sounded very cheerful.

"Yeah?"

"Ruby, sometimes you need to teach bullies that they're not the king of the hill. Have you seen CRDL bully anyone else since Pyrrha thrashed them?"

"Well…no but she didn't send them to the infirmary."

"Minor detail. Come on, team JWMP wanted to go to Vale, remember?"

When Yang said that, it pushed the doubt out of her mind. "Yeah!"

Team JWMP were waiting outside, chatting about Jaune and Weiss' fight. It had certainly been a good one and Ruby was happy to see all of them were still getting along. Weiss was smiling. Ruby was half tempted to check if the world was ending.

"Hey guys," Jaune greeted, the first to see them.

"Hey Jaune. Shame about your match. For a moment, I thought you guys had it."

"Thank you," Weiss curtsied. "I can see some obvious improvements, but I am pleased with our fight." Weiss always sounded so formal.

Jaune chuckled. "Ruby, remind me never to annoy your boyfriend. That was…insane."

Ruby tried to fight her blush as she smiled. He had been fighting for her.

"I think the real warning is not to upset his girlfriends," Yang responded with a very large grin. Why was she so happy?

"At least he didn't treat us like that when we sparred."

"Ruby likes you."

Ruby chuckled. "You make him sound like a pet Yang."

"Boys…Pets…I get them mixed up."

That made Ruby frown while the others chuckled. She must be missing something. She perked up when she saw her Emery arrive together. Despite getting into trouble, Mercury seemed very happy. There was a glint in Emerald's eyes as well.

Ruby didn't really want to know. Besides, at Beacon they couldn't have gone too far with threats.

"We off then?" Merc asked.

"Sure," Melody nodded. "Next bullhead leaves in ten minutes."

"So let's go!" Ruby always found trips to Vale to be fun.

* * *

Mercury was well aware Goodwitch set him up in that match. She hadn't been surprised when he sent them to the infirmary and had only given him one detention for it when the last person who did it had gotten a week. He didn't really care. He and Emerald had made sure those girls would never bother Ruby again.

Emerald really hated them. Then again, if they reminded him of a bunch of killers and had picked out Ruby as a target, he would hate them too.

Eh, that problem was solved. If they came near Ruby again, he would launch them into Emerald Forest. Or to Mistral; he might get the coordinates mixed up. Those lockers were just begging to be used.

Maybe he would shove Cardin in one.

Goodwitch had told him to go to the library at 9pm. That did not inspire confidence that this detention was going to be interesting. The main reason Mercury had avoided earning one before was because they were so dull. Yang's friend Raine had warned them that it could consist of listening to Port and Oobleck have a debate on something as trivial as cabbages for an hour and then provide a 'well educated' opinion afterwards. A lot of others agreed and said it was the worst if they were alone.

No, Mercury was not looking forward to this next hour of his life.

Which was why he was very confused to see Ozpin sitting at one of the tables when he arrived.

"I thought this was the only library in the school?" It was an insane size.

Ozpin chuckled. "It is. Professor Goodwitch allowed me to take over your detention." He took a sip from his mug and gestured to the chair opposite. "Please."

An interrogation? Odd. Well, at least this wasn't going to be as bad of an hour as he thought. With a shrug, Mercury sat down. There were two sheets of paper in front of him and a pen.

"Do you find excuses to meet all your students?"

"Not necessarily. Some students are happy to forge their own way without interference."

True, a lot of these idiots were very draining in their immaturity. "So what's the reason for my 'interference'? The fact that I sent four girls to the infirmary?"

"That would depend on how much your actions were influenced by their actions towards Ruby."

So the teachers weren't blind. "A little. So what's your verdict?" Even if they hadn't been making Ruby miserable, he still would have defeated them. He just wouldn't bother to fight any further than knocking their aura into the red.

"My verdict is that you acted like a teenager who was defending a friend. However, you still broke the rules and earned a detention for it."

Ozpin had said he and Emerald were students, not prisoners. A prisoner certainly would have been gotten rid of for that stunt. A student would have gotten detention.

Interesting.

"So…my detention is a chat with the Headmaster?" What was the point?

"In part. However, I thought you might be interested in a more productive use of your time."

Mercury glanced at the blank papers, then up again. "So this isn't just going to be writing lines?" That was how Yang described detentions at Signal.

"It is not. Imagine my surprise when I was working late last night and saw a silver winged creature flying around the school buildings."

Mercury kept his face blank. He had been careless last night but he had been curious how far away from him he could get the fox to go. Once it was out of his sight though, he had needed to pour his energy into literally seeing through its eyes. He had to literally become the fox.

He had been careless in his flight, but…he had felt so free. His night flight had been so much fun. His thought process had gone from 'this is a great scouting technique' to 'I wonder if I can reach the top of that spire'. He hadn't found any distance problems before he 'returned' to his human body and settled down for the night.

In hindsight, Mercury should have known someone would notice.

Ozpin placed his mug on the table. "During the Great War, there were two known Aura Wielders, both with different allegiances. In one battle, there was a full sized, blue moose that fought alongside one Aura Wielder. As this Wielder was from Mantle and was on very good terms with the Schnee family, history books document it as a Schnee summoning."

That caught Mercury's interest. "If Schnees can summon," which was not something he had seen Weiss do, "why do you think the Aura Wielder was responsible?"

"It may be personal choice, but the Schnee summoning are so far always seen as almost pure white. Light blue and white can be confused, so the possibility exists. The shade of blue was not recorded. On top of that, Weiss Schnee was not at Beacon last night." That was a valid point. "There were also reports of a purple bird flying around near where the second Aura Wielder was known to be. Interestingly, it is recorded as a purple jay."

Mercury was fairly sure that jays did not come in purple. "Why a jay? Wouldn't it make more sense to think it was a different bird?"

"Interesting isn't it? I have no answers for you. These are first hand sources. Perhaps I will find more when I look into more sources from that area. If I may ask, what animal is it?"

There was no point lying now. In fairness, it could have been any canine from a distance. "A winged fox."

"Curious." That was one word for it.

Come to think of it… "Qrow said there haven't been any known Aura Wielders in sixty years."

"He's not wrong. All we know of them is through the records. There is one fact that is noted about these 'aura animals': they appear to move independently of the Wielder."

Okay, this conversation was going somewhere. It was getting worryingly close to sounding like being used as an experiment. "So?"

"I have a question Mercury. Does the fox move, shall we say, on its own or do you control it?"

Was he afraid it was going to attack someone? "I control it."

Ozpin nodded. That was obviously what he suspected. "You asked what you'll be doing tonight. I want you to find a book that genuinely interests you. Being in a library, I don't think you'll find that task challenging."

What was going on?

Confused, Mercury automatically headed for the history section. His Gems were more interested in fiction and would curl up with a storybook any night. Mercury liked comics, but fiction books weren't his thing. He had always been interested in battles and war. If he had to pick up a book, that was his choice.

He hadn't found anything on Aura Wielders in the Great War, but then again his most recent personal reading had been the first humans vs the Grimm. It was almost amusing how badly they fared before they discovered Dust.

 _Hmm? 'Extermination of Vale Packs: Edition XI'_

He hadn't read the others, but a quick glance at the first few pages intrigued him and he couldn't be bothered to find something else. There were mentions of elephant like Grimm in the introduction. He had never heard of them before. How destructive were they?

Curious, Mercury returned to his seat. The paper and pen were starting to make sense now.

Ozpin glanced at the book, but didn't comment on his choice. "It is difficult to hold two separate trains of thoughts, but there are ways to aid that. That would aid you in controlling the winged fox and still fight with your normal style."

That made sense. Maybe he didn't have to leave his human body in order to completely control the winged fox aura. "And this is one way?"

"It is. You've picked a Grimm history book. I want you to write any essay using that book and any information you can remember that is appropriate. In the meantime, I will ask you questions based on your Kingdom Studies class."

Annoying. Those two classes didn't overlap at all. That would be the point. Kingdom Studies had never been one of Mercury's strong points, so he would have to think about the answers.

What followed was one of the most tiring and confusing half hours of his life. He had known it wouldn't be easy, but he just managed to catch himself before he tripped several times. After the half hour was up, he read through his essay and chuckled.

Ozpin was smiling. "Well, how do you think you did?"

"C at best." Though a D looked more likely. It was a rather amusing read. In the first paragraph was the line: 'Five years after the initial dance, the three previously dressed pack of Beowolves were aided by a flock of previous flames'. This was one essay he was going to keep.

"It takes much practice and commitment to manage two separate chains of thought. Perhaps exercises like this will aid you."

Mercury smirked. If he could see through its eyes without having to be inside it, then there would be quite a few fun things he could do. "Well, I have a good reason to learn."

"Indeed." Ozpin placed the mug on the table. "And how are you finding Beacon Mercury?"

That was a question Mercury was expecting him to ask, but he knew giving a stock answer wouldn't fly. Still, it was a good question. How was he finding Beacon?

"It's not as bad as I feared. There's just a lack of challenging opponents." That probably wasn't a smart thing to say to the Headmaster, but he wasn't going to get thrown out over it.

Oddly enough, Ozpin chuckled. "That was always going to be a problem for you. However, short of sparring with the teachers, there's not much I can do about that. If I may ask, the next time you fight an opponent, would you mind not sending them to the infirmary?"

"Depends how badly they annoyed me."

"I suppose that's the best I can ask for. Off you go."

Well, that hour wasn't too bad. Choosing not to stick around, he made a fairly rapid departure from the library. He did take his new bedtime reading with him, seeing as he hadn't got to the chapter with elephant Grimm in it yet.

Mercury's mind repeated the conversation in his mind numerous times, searching for something he may have missed. The problem he was having was that Ozpin seemed sincere. There had to be some sort of catch. As far as he was aware, their crimes had been swept under the rug. Ozpin didn't seem to think that his sending four girls to the infirmary was a pattern of continued violence. Is that how most teenagers behaved?

Emerald was part Maiden. Keeping her where he can see her is a smart idea, especially as she had very little control over it. The way that Qrow had described Aura Wielders makes it sound like they suspected he was one for a while, but weren't certain until the tattoo appeared. As Ozpin had said, they were good warriors.

It didn't sound like the two of them were being trained as warriors though. A warrior didn't need to know half the stuff they taught in Kingdom Studies. Their current topic was on individual Kingdom festivals.

It just didn't make sense.

Maybe he could stay with his Gems in the long term after the war happened or was stopped. He could hope.


	16. Familiar and Unfamiliar Faces

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

As the weeks passed, routines were established and boarding school was quickly becoming a normality for the first years rather than a new experience. Although there were bullheads available for students that were homesick, there had only been two that had used them since the beginning of the year.

Beacon was quickly becoming a second home to many.

After their total thrashing, HION had avoided RMEY altogether. Their relationships with some of the teams in the upper years were shaky, not because they had been beaten but because of the reason why that teammate had been so angry at them in the first place. No one liked bullies.

CRDL were very self-centred and still didn't interact much with the other teams. They had never been bothered by that, but had stopped trying to pick fights with others. SVDG was the same, especially after the handicap matches in Combat Class. Losing when you had superior numbers had affected George and Daisy more than expected, especially as one of the victors had been two years younger.

ZBRN, JWMP and RMEY were often at different events and different activities in mixed groups. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell who was in what team, save Mercury and Emerald who preferred to partner with someone within RMEY, though they hadn't restricted themselves to that. It was a very wide and diverse circle of friends.

Soon enough, the preparations for the Vytal Festivals were officially complete and Beacon awaited the students from the other Kingdoms.

* * *

Mercury stared at the bird.

The bird stared at Mercury.

It was an amusing sight when walking into the dorm room, if it wasn't for the fact that Emerald had no idea where the bird came from. Oddly enough, it was almost completely red with a few silver streaks in it. She had never seen a bird of prey like it.

The beautiful sterling silver eyes though…They were very familiar.

Ruby looked like she was asleep on their bed. Then again, when Mercury had to put his consciousness in the winged fox, his human body looked like it was sleeping as well. Still, if this was an Aura Wielder ability, how did Ruby do it?

Yang was just as confused as Emerald was. "Err, Mercury? What happened?"

Finally, he turned to look at them. He waved at the bird. "See if you can get through to her. I'm trying to convince her to wake up properly. She's not agreeing."

"So Ruby is definitely the bird?" Emerald asked. "How did that happen?"

"You remember Oobleck held me back today? Well, that was for two reasons. He told me that Ozpin had found records of more than one 'aura animal' being controlled by the same Wielder, though never at the same time. So, I tried to get something else other than a winged fox. It wasn't going well. Ruby showed up an hour ago and I got that, only it was silver."

"So you made that?" Okay, that did make sense. "So what happened to Ruby?"

Mercury brought his hand up to rub his temples. Then it dropped and he sighed. "That's the tricky part. She touched it and read my aura. That wasn't a problem. Then she pushed too hard and ended up pushing her aura into it and behold! One Ruby bird." He glared at the bird. "Don't give me that. You did it on purpose and you know it."

If both his and Ruby's aura were part of that bird…How did that work? "You can read her." That was easy enough.

Yang settled on the bed and checked Ruby herself, relaxing a little as she confirmed she was in no danger. Her head spun between the red bird, Mercury and Ruby sleeping on the bed. Finally, she settled on the bird. "Okay, so who's controlling that?"

"Ruby."

"But it's _your_ bird."

"Yes but…" Mercury moved along the bed so he was close enough to run his hand down the front of the animal. Judging by the way the head bobbed, Ruby liked it. "Think of it like a car. I created the vehicle but Ruby's the one driving it. It doesn't need any of my aura after I created it and Ruby went into it."

"So how do we reverse it?"

"I'm sure it's just Ruby transferring her aura back into her body." He chuckled. "Oh please. You didn't try very hard."

Emerald also chuckled. "I take it Ruby's not interested in returning to the human realm?"

The Ruby bird looked at her and nodded.

"Got it in one."

To be fair, it wasn't every day you found yourself in a bird's body, even if that body was made up of aura. Emerald sat next to him, reaching over herself. The head came down and the curved tip of the beak touched her finger. If she focused, it felt like reading Ruby and Mercury at the same time. Mercury's emotions could be compared to a whisper while Ruby's were as easy to read as ever. She was having a great time and wasn't ready to wake up as a human yet.

"So, how did you get a bird of prey instead of a winged fox?"

Mercury shrugged and lay back on the bed. "Not sure. I haven't had time to experiment with it."

Ruby did seem to have hijacked his first attempt. "Okay, so what was different?"

He hummed. His eyes fell on Emerald. "I wonder…" Mercury's body began to glow again and he brought his hand up. Mist appeared and began to slowly take shape. It was obvious though that it wasn't a winged fox. It was something more streamlined. It was nearly half a minute before it was identifiable.

A snake. With four wings?

"What is it with you and wings?" Yang asked.

Mercury didn't seem to be listening. He was studying the creature himself. "Interesting, but not very helpful."

Emerald blinked. "How is that not helpful?"

"I got the bird by focusing on a memory specific to Ruby. That winged snake is you."

The snake…was her…?

 _It's beautiful…_

She had no problem with that. In fact, Emerald liked it a lot. Snakes had a grace unique to them and were often a creature of beauty.

Fingers reached out to touch the head.

A fox had suited Mercury. The wings had been a symbol of flying free from the hell of his past. Did he see the same in her? From a filthy street rat to this?

For a moment, her vision went fuzzy.

Emerald knew what she had done instantly. She had focused too much and had accidentally pushed a little too much of her own into the aura animal. Just like Ruby found herself in the bird, Emerald had found herself in the snake.

Bizarre didn't cover it.

She was used to having arms and legs. A snake didn't have those limbs. This particular snake did have two pairs of wings. Somehow, they felt lighter than her normal limbs and not just because they were smaller.

[What just happened Em?]

That was Mercury. But where was he? He had been right next to her. The snake had been at his side, between the two.

[I got overexcited.] It wasn't easy lifting her head. She had to lift the body, not a neck to have a look around. She wasn't surprised to see the snake was now mostly green.

It was odd staring at yourself and knowing it wasn't a mirror. Mercury had caught her body before she hit the ground and lay her onto the bed beside Ruby. Yang had had to get up to give them room.

"Looks like Emerald agreed with Ruby."

"Curiosity got the better of her."

"I don't blame her. This isn't normally something you see every day." Yang stretched a bit. Her grin hadn't faded. "You said making the snake wasn't helpful?"

"Give me a sec…" He glowed for a moment, but nothing else happened. It faded. "Yeah, thought so. I'm very doubtful that every known Aura Wielder was connected in an Animin bond. I shouldn't have been able to do this. I just tried you and got nothing. That's not how I'm supposed to do this. After all, I shouldn't have two aura animals at the same time."

Emerald had noticed another problem. How did she move? She had seen a snake move, but she had no idea how to do it. She fluttered her wings. That was easy. Surely they would be enough?

"But yours is always a fox?"

Mercury shrugged. [Need a hand Em?]

As much as she didn't want to, she laughed. [I'm fine thanks.] The two pairs of wings were a fair distance apart, probably equal from each end. It should be easy to fly around.

It wasn't.

"Maybe it's emotions."

Emerald gave up attempting to take off and swivelled her head to look at Yang.

Merc was just as confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when you meditate, you feel calm. Maybe if you're angry, it'll be something else."

He frowned, then glanced at the Ruby bird. [No, I can't control how I feel.] "So if I'm feeling murderous, I try and create a Grim Reaper? I don't think people are going to be very happy with that."

[A Grim Reaper probably doesn't class as an animal,] was Emerald's response to that. Yang's thought did have merit though, if it wasn't for the fact Mercury wasn't good with emotions. He was probably going to stick with the winged fox. That would definitely remain her personal favourite.

 _How long did it take him to figure out how to fly with that thing?_

A few more attempts with the wings and she was starting to get dizzy. She kept misjudging how to position the snake body.

[Merc, I've changed my mind. I'd appreciate a hand.]

She sensed him chuckle. [Up you go.] His fingers went exactly under the wings. With ease, he picked her up. He was right: it was a very odd feeling to be touched in this state. Almost raw. She tried to focus on something else. Was this how she was supposed to balance her perceived 'weight' when in flight?

Mercury put her down on her human body. Was it that simple? She pushed her aura forward. Her vision went fuzzy again and her hand rubbed her temples.

Apparently it was that simple.

It wasn't painful or even uncomfortable. The transition was just really disorientating.

"That was…" Emerald thought about her next word, "brilliant." She could certainly see why Mercury spent quite a while flying around the school at night. Somehow, being that snake had felt lighter, like she was without shackles for a while.

The snake had vanished when her aura left it. It wasn't a surprise; Mercury probably wasn't focused on it.

"Isn't it?" Merc smiled.

The Ruby bird showed no sign of returning back to her body. Yang looked at the bird, then looked at Emerald. "I wonder if you could switch."

"What, you mean Emerald as the bird and Ruby as the winged snake?"

"Yep."

Ruby immediately bobbed the head up and down. Emerald was curious as well. "Sure, I don't mind."

Merc frowned. "It's going to have to be one at a time. I don't think I make both at once."

Yang mimicked his expression. "Err…weren't you just doing that?"

"Ruby's aura is supporting that, just as Emerald was supporting the winged snake. Save for creating it, my aura wasn't doing anything."

"Huh." Yang clapped her hands. "Right Ruby. That means out."

The beak snapped happily, but Ruby didn't move. Mercury pushed himself up and offered his arm. "Ruby has no idea how to fly. It was pretty funny to watch, probably not far off watching me on my new legs."

Emerald would back her up. It wasn't as easy as it looked.

Mercury lowered his arm so the mostly red bird was next to Ruby's body. A talon extended, shaking the bird slightly as it overbalanced a bit and made contact. Instantly, the red drained completely and the sterling silver eyes along with the rest of the body reverted back to Mercury's whitish silver aura colour. It didn't disappear though. He merely moved his arm so it was in range of Emerald.

"All yours."

Ruby stretched a little, but didn't get up. Her grin rivalled Yang's.

Emerald placed a hand on its chest. She could aura read Mercury. Amused and relieved. She pushed her aura towards it as she had done before…

…and was met with resistance.

A few more attempts had the same result: she couldn't do it.

"I think this bird is Ruby's only." Which meant the winged snake was hers alone.

Perfect.

"Great!" Ruby chirped. When she reached for it again though, it vanished. "Aww. Merc…"

"Maybe tonight Ruby." Obviously Mercury wasn't sure he could coax her out of it if she managed to hijack it again. "Guess I forgot to mention it's more difficult than it looks?"

"You never said it was easy," Emerald pointed out. "Do you want to try the snake?"

Merc shook his head. "Sorry, haven't got enough aura left. Ask again in about half an hour."

He had said it took about 20 aura to create an aura animal. His aura regenerates at the same rate as the aura animal drain so if he transferred 60 aura into it, it would remain at 60 aura with the remaining 20 aura to use elsehow, most likely his shield. He could alter how much of his aura was in it. His aura wouldn't recharge until the animal had vanished, but that aura returned to him, save the 20 it took to create it.

Did that work for her and Ruby? If Merc's aura created it, how much aura from them did it take and how fast did it drain?

Emerald really should have thought of these questions when she was still the winged snake.

Ruby rolled over to lay her head in his lap. "Meanie."

"Uh huh." His hand came up and patted her head. His other hand came up and Emerald took it, settling next to him to rest her head on his shoulder with his arm now around her.

Yang was studying her sister. "Mercury, how is that comfortable?"

"No idea."

Come to think of it, Ruby's head was on the junction where flesh met metal. That shouldn't be comfortable. Eh, Emerald would find out another time.

Ruby tilted her head up. "Hey Merc?"

"Hmm?"

"What was the other reason Oobleck held you back?"

"Hmm? Oh, that. Waterbrook wants to see me at some point."

Waterbrook…Waterbrook…

The doctor.

"Do you want to go now?"

Merc shook his head. "Too far. Too comfortable. Not going anywhere. I'll go after Combat Class on Friday."

Emerald would agree with that.

* * *

Mercury was bored.

Technically, it had been good news: there was a possible way to combat the black Dust in his bloodstream. The problem was that Waterbrook wanted him in for a while for observation. Not wanting to die in his sleep due to impatience, Mercury had reluctantly agreed. Rather than wait in the main infirmary, he was in one of the private wards off to the side. He didn't really want visitors.

There were a few reasons why it had taken so long. When the Dust had been tested against each individual cure, there hadn't been any reaction. There hadn't been anything to trigger a response either (he had been told that blood with red Dust reacted badly the longer it was exposed to air). As black was considered the absence of colour or complete absorption of light, it was tested against all known cures at the same moment.

It had worked, although it took time and several doses.

As that was in a great number of samples and not in a person, Mercury was in for a wait. Given the chemicals involved, there shouldn't be any danger to him but who knew? Dust could be unpredictable sometimes, especially when they knew so little about it.

The end result was a capsule he had to swallow daily, most likely for a few weeks. He was fine with that.

Still, it did mean he was stuck in the infirmary until Sunday.

The girls had stayed for a while, but had left about ten minutes ago. As much as he enjoyed their company, Mercury did know they couldn't spend all afternoon there. He expected them to visit before they went to bed though.

The problem remained: he was bored.

There were games on his scroll and Yang had brought him a few of his comics. It just wasn't something he could be bothered to do. As he lay on the bed, he glanced out the window.

 _Sure why not?_

It was easy to create the winged fox now. He only put enough aura into it to gain a shape. He had found that, while there needed to be nearly all his aura in it to manually control it, it could fly through solid objects if there was less aura in it. This could only really be used for windows as he still needed to see it in order to control it without becoming it. He was sure there was a way around that though, but he hadn't figured it out yet.

When the fox was hovering outside the closed window, Mercury closed his eyes and pushed nearly all of his aura into it. After a moment of fuzziness, he was looking at the sky with a wall on his right and a snout directly at the bottom of his vision. That was taking a while to get used to.

One thing he had noticed (when Yang asked) was that his vision was the same as ever in the fox, just as Ruby's was the same in the bird. They had no idea what those animals' sense of vision was really like, but theirs was the same as a human in those forms. When Emerald was a quetzalcoatl (cool name), not once had a tongue come out to scent the air.

Mercury knew he could reach any of the school buildings. His Gems had gone to Vale and Yang was still somewhere around the school. He fancied a trip to Vale.

To his slight surprise, he was able to get that far away. He idly wondered how far away he could go.

After a moment of thinking, he decided that he didn't want to be seen. He just wanted to explore. He had a map of the city of Vale in his head, but he had never seen it from this point of view.

Where to go first?

With no plan in mind, Mercury spread his wings and flew up. People wandered around like ants on the ground, free of concern. It was…remarkably annoying.

Fun fact about most of the human race: they very rarely look up.

The first thing that caught his eye was a Dust shop he had never been to had police around it. Clearly another robbery. There were very few shops left now. So what did Cinder have planned next?

The first people he recognised were Ren and Nora. They were enjoying ice cream outside a parlour, with Nora's dessert being three times larger than Ren's. Nothing odd about that; they were enjoying themselves. How this friendship worked was something that Mercury still had no idea about.

The HION girls he ignored completely.

Blake and someone he had never seen before were having a drink at a café. A second look at him told Mercury he didn't attend Beacon, but he could be one of the exchange students arriving for the festival.

The Vytal Festival. Mercury was not looking forward to that.

It wasn't that he would find the matches too easy (although that was true). It was that Cinder was happy to lay low for now, but was building up towards something and he was sure the endgame would happen then. Most likely at the finals for maximum impact.

The main question he had was whether or not he and Emerald would survive it.

His flight continued, but he barely took notice of what he saw. Coco and Velvet in the window of a clothes shop, JWMP had just vanished into the bowling alley and a few couples were at the park. Ginger was-

Mercury froze, almost dropping out of the sky. He checked again, making sure.

 _What the hell is she doing here?_

He didn't approach. He did follow the teenager around the city. She didn't enter any stores and didn't speak to anyone, save the occasional smile at what was probably a stranger. He kept his distance, remaining on the rooftops.

It felt like his heart had stopped when he saw his Gems talking to a different orange haired girl a few streets away. If she looked right…

 _Keep walking bitch. Don't spot them._

Ginger walked to the intersection. His Gems were on the street to the right and with Ruby's trusting nature, even with Emerald's suspicion, it was going to end horrifically. He did not want that girl anywhere near his Gems.

 _Don't see them…_

Ginger turned left. She hadn't seen them.

Mercury relaxed. They were safe and were walking in the opposite direction. There was no chance of the two meeting.

Now there was a question Mercury needed to answer and fast. Did he follow Ginger and see what she was up to or follow his Gems and make sure Ginger hadn't staged some ambush? What if the girl with them was part of a trap?

He tried to go for both. Within minutes, he knew the girl who was with them was odd, but not dangerous. He twisted around and tried to find Ginger again. He couldn't have been away for more than a few minutes, but she had disappeared. He would probably never find her now.

If Mercury never saw her again, it would be too soon.

* * *

Nothing happened to Mercury. The results were small, but promising. He was released on Sunday morning with no problems.

The first thing Ruby wanted to do was go to the arcade that had opened up the day before. She wanted to try the racing game with all four of them. She had heard about it from JWMP as the arcade was connected to bowling alley.

This was the distraction Mercury needed.

It was obvious very early on that this was Yang's game. She had gotten two strikes in a row, then a half strike and then another strike. He was happy to concede all bowling games to her. Ruby was doing very well also, getting a half strike more often than not. He and Emerald weren't doing so well, but a glance down the other lanes showed they weren't the worst.

Their second game didn't go any better.

"And that Merc is what is called total annihilation," Yang almost sang quite cheerfully as she flopped down next to him.

"I'm surprised there aren't ten feet holes in the lane." She did chuck half of them rather than bowl.

"It's called skill."

"I call it practice."

"Then you're a long way from beating me buddy. And it's your turn to get the drinks and snacks."

It was, wasn't it?

As the bowling alley was quite busy, lane service was very slow. The place was understaffed. So far, they had gone directly to the bar, gotten the drinks there and brought them back. If they wanted snacks, then they got both at the café, which was a longer queue. They still had one game to go, so he wasn't getting off easy.

Fair was fair and his Gems had probably spent some money when they were in Vale on Friday. He did have more money on him and Emerald had already paid for a round.

There was one round of bowling left before they were going to disperse in the arcade (after he flattened them at racing). He was going to predict that Yang was going to win the final with Ruby coming second. It was up in the air which of her Emery were going to come last. Bowling was something they weren't great at.

"Hey there handsome."

That was a voice he never wanted to hear again. Staying casual, knowing she wouldn't make too much of a scene here, he turned his head slightly so he could see her in the corner of his eye. Burnt orange hair and dark brown eyes. White blouse exposing a lot of skin, grey pinstriped skirt and blood red nails.

Damn.

"I am not buying you a drink." He very much doubted he could say anything to get her to leave. He would have to entertain some sort of conversation, but he needed to be very careful with what he said.

Ginger pouted. "Not much of a gentleman, are you?"

"You wouldn't know me if I was. Now leave me alone." It was worth a try, even if he knew it wouldn't work.

She clicked her tongue. "Don't be like that handsome." She strutted up to him. He instinctively slapped her hand away when she reached a hand to his neck, even knowing that choking him wasn't what she was about to do. With a chuckle, she leaned against the counter. "I know I left an impression on you."

That he couldn't deny. "Should I mention it in my obituary?"

"As long as I get your stuff when you die."

He scoffed. "Not a chance in any hell you end up in. Besides, I don't have anything you could possibly want."

"Oh?" She looked away from him then. "I disagree."

Mercury narrowed his eyes, not needing to follow her gaze to know who she was looking at. He schooled his features before she turned back to him. "No idea what you're talking about."

"Every man has his gems," she responded with a smile. "But they don't like to be parted from their treasures. Maybe you won't have to be."

This didn't sound like a normal recruitment speech. "My answer hasn't changed. After meeting you, I'm less inclined to get involved."

"Personally, I wish I had gotten more involved with you. Handsome, strong willed…Shame about the scars but every man has his flaw. The muscles more than made up for them."

Mercury was under no delusions as to what she was suggesting. "That is one date that is never going to happen." He did not want to dwell on what happened during the one time they had met and was grateful she hadn't taken it a step further.

"We'll see." He did not like that smile. She hadn't approached Emerald. A relief, but why? "I am curious though. Why 'no'?"

"Because you're not my type."

Ginger chuckled. "Shame that. But not what I meant. Why tell her no? She's not used to people doing that and you're a wild beast, not domestic."

Mercury gave her a very mocking smirk. "That's the question, isn't it?"

"Your order sir." The woman placed the tray on the counter, sparing him a trip and giving him an excellent reason to get away from the bitch. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." He picked up the tray and began to walk back to the girls. Ginger didn't follow. A thought caused him to stop and turn back for a moment. "Mind mentioning that I didn't appreciate the tattoo she gave me? Took me forever to change it."

Cinder already knew Emerald and Mercury were working against her. Telling her the idea for a human Grimm had been squashed was something that had been agreed to by all parties and would give him more breathing room.

"I look forward to seeing the replacement," Ginger winked.

"Not gonna happen." He turned away for the final time. There was no way for them to know it was an Aura Wielder tattoo, so she must think the shape had been altered, not eliminated. Everyone had been surprised to see the black lines vanish.

Ruby immediately hopped up from her seat, picked up her Dr Piper and took a long sip. She studied his face and frowned. "Are you okay?"

He smiled at her. "Fine."

"If you say so." Translation: I don't believe you.

Mercury shrugged and stepped up for his turn. He bowled a strike. Huh.

"Lucky shot," Yang claimed as she passed him for her turn.

It definitely was. He flopped down next to Emerald and pulled her into a one arm hug. She hummed happily and took another sip of her drink. Her eyes weren't on the game, but back at the café, though she couldn't possibly see the counter.

"Who was that girl, Merc? You two seemed to know each other." She sounded curious, not angry.

Had it been any other time, Mercury might have teased her about being jealous. As that had been Ginger though… "Later, Em. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Fair enough. Is she a talk to or avoid?"

"Avoid." That answer was very quickly given. "Definitely."

"Will do."

Mercury wasn't surprised when Yang thrashed them in the final game as well. He had managed to beat Emerald by ten points. Yang also won in the racing game, but he and Emerald both made a mental note to never get in a car she was driving.

* * *

It was never discussed, but Mercury being in the middle that night was silently agreed on by all three. Emerald and Ruby had taken a while to fall asleep on the two nights he wasn't there and given how close he was holding them, he had struggled as well.

After the arcade, Yang had spotted Blake with a Faunus called Sun and said she would see them later. Somehow, Emerald was very doubtful that the bullhead that was cut in half that they saw in the direction they had headed was a coincidence. Penny had said the White Fang and Torchwick had shown up, but had been taken care of. Though Torchwick escaped.

Ruby had been disappointed she couldn't give her sister support.

Yang wasn't in the dorm now. She was having a sleepover with Blake and Melody. Emerald was beginning to think she was avoiding them. It was odd that it hurt a little, but Ruby obviously thought differently or hadn't thought the behaviour was strange. She was snuggled into Mercury's side with a content smile, apparently not a care in the world.

Emerald wasn't going to be the one to tell Ruby her sister might be avoiding her.

That wasn't the only thing that was bothering her.

"Mercury? Who was that earlier?" She had seen the girl sitting in the café when it was her turn to get the drinks and snacks. She caught sight of her again when Mercury was returning and something about their interaction disturbed her.

Even if it didn't, Merc's serious attitude after he returned would have.

She heard that same tone now.

"Her name's Ginger. She works for Cinder and as for her sadism…Well, compared to her, I'm a saint even at my worst back then."

Ginger must have been recruited after they had been left for dead. "So definitely someone to avoid." Given how callous and bloodthirsty Mercury had been when they first met (and in a way still was), that statement was saying a lot.

Ruby nudged her head into his side even more. "What did she want?"

"That's the thing; I don't know. She just mentioned our past time, but…I'm worried."

"Past time…" Emerald murmured, thinking. The only time Mercury could have met her was when he had been kidnapped by Cinder. Meaning… "Was Ginger one of those who-?"

"You saw the results and that was someone who she was told to kill, though not by Cinder. Thing is…I think she's starting to act a little obsessed. And that includes towards you two."

Why had he never mentioned her before? "What are you saying, Mercury? Ruby never worked for-"

"She called you my gems. This has nothing to do with Cinder. She's not the kind to take orders if she wants to do something different. I don't want you anywhere near her."

That…really wasn't good. Most people working for Cinder follow her plan to the t. A rogue that had enough skill or connections to have her attention was remarkably worrying, especially if Cinder was still keeping her around. Emerald had never come across anyone that sounded like who Mercury was describing and had no idea how to deal with them.

"I promise to try," Emerald responded. She wasn't foolish enough to think they would never meet, especially if Merc was right.

"Promise," Ruby agreed, nuzzling into his neck.

Any warning from Mercury was to be taken very seriously.

Although Ruby fell asleep fairly quickly, the distracted look in Merc's eyes told her he may be awake for a while. Enjoying his company, Emerald rested her head over his heart and allowed the lullaby to drift her to sleep.

* * *

 **AN: Although they don't know it, the bird Ruby was in was an eagle. Emerald's snake length is a little under four feet, just long enough to need two hands to carry.**

 **Many thanks for reading.**


	17. New Classmates and Allies

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Sun was the leader of team SSSN. That had to get confusing.

Sun and Neptune were among the first exchange students, but the others began piling in fast. Shade and Haven arrived in batches. Atlas students all came together on the same ship, along with a lot of others that Weiss said were part of the military.

Emerald and Mercury weren't very happy about that. Their reason was that an army was an obvious sign there was danger coming and would worry people, which would only help Cinder bring the Grimm to Vale.

Yang thought that, while true, their unease stemmed from something else. Ozpin seemed to have no qualms with them so far and had allowed them a near free reign. Whoever was in charge of the army may not be so merciful. Their concerns, if that is what they were thinking, seemed justified. General Ironwood struck her as a no nonsense man. He was only seen occasionally and had not shown any interest in them at all. Maybe he didn't know about them.

Right now, it wasn't a big concern.

It had always been odd to Yang how large the classrooms were compared to the number of students. As the other schools piled in though, the reason became obvious. Surprisingly, everyone fit. The larger numbers certainly made class more interesting.

BRNZ, LGHG, CRUZ, RNBW and many, many more. It would probably take until the end of her four years at Beacon for Yang to know them well and she would only see them every other year.

One class that had become a lot more fun was Combat Class. Over the past few months, students became aware of other students fighting styles and where they ranked. Now they were back to fighting unknowns, although it certainly felt like everyone was holding back. No one wanted to tip their hand for the tournament, but it was great fun.

In most classes, the match ups tended to be randomly generated, unless there had been an agreement to the match in the halls. There was a lot of good trash talk and so far everyone had had skill to back it up.

Blake vs Scarlet was one such random match up, but it was interesting given the amount of time Sun spent hanging around ZBRN and Blake in particular. Scarlet did know not to pull his punches, even against the girl his leader seemed to have a crush on. The combatants were fairly evenly matched at first, until Blake started dual wielding. While Scarlet held his own well, Blake used a mix of heavy strikes and quick jabs to gain a victory.

Scarlet wasn't bothered by his loss. He said something to Sun, who laughed and looked at Blake with a thumbs up. She smiled back.

Team RNBW were also talking quietly amongst themselves. Naturally, this caught Goodwitch's attention.

"Roland, please select yourself or one of your teammates to participate in the next sparring match."

RNBW certainly lived up to their name. Roland favoured the colour brown with a cream scarf and designer jeans. Nash was half blue, half white. Basil seemed to like a darker brown than his leader and had a few streaks of orange. Warrick's favourite colour appeared to be green with a little red thrown in.

"Sorry professor."

Basil scoffed. "I'll do it."

"Very well." Goodwitch glanced at the selection screen for only a moment. "Would you like to choose an opponent or would you like it to be random?"

"Why not both?" Basil's hand came up and he started pointing. "Eenie meenie miney moe…"

Yang chuckled. That was a very bizarre way to choose your opponents. She couldn't see a pattern either; he just seemed to be aiming for whichever direction struck his fancy.

"…miney moe." Basil's finger landed on Ruby nestled between Yang and Mercury. "You."

Ruby saluted, always ready for a challenge, and headed down to the arena.

Mercury leaned forward, more interested in this fight than the last. No surprise there. Still, after that mess with HION (and hearing about the bullying from Velvet of all people), Yang did feel the need to ask the slightly paranoid nutter.

"Do you think it was random?"

He shrugged. "Possibly. He was aiming for her, despite how close we were sitting. Maybe he didn't want to look weak by picking on her, but was curious?"

Possibly. Blake hadn't told anyone what Yang had said about Ruby being in early and while there was no doubt it wasn't a mistake, others were naturally curious. There wasn't any ill intent behind it.

Basil certainly seemed to think he was in for a fight. Long metal 'claws' lay over his fists, four facing towards an opponent and three directed towards himself, protruding from a thick band that went from his wrist to halfway up his forearm. There was a sheath on his belt but whatever was inside it hadn't been drawn.

Ruby kicked this spar off with several speed attacks. Basil blocked and tried to push her back. Those claws didn't even vibrate when they clashed with the scythe, so were made out of stronger stuff than they looked. Ruby only went backwards a step or two, which she used to change direction and hit him from a different angle. Over and over again.

Then swiped her scythe at his legs when he finally wised up. He barely jumped in time, but brought the claws down as he did. A hit to the neck knocked off most of her aura.

Four rapid hits to his back brought them back down to roughly equal, both fairly near the red.

This was going to be close.

 _You can do it Ruby._

Ruby spun Crescent Rose again and Basil lifted to block. At the last moment, she altered the trajectory and used her Semblance to dash to his side. He was a second out from blocking that strike.

With that hit came the win.

"Congratulations Miss Rose. A well-earned victory."

Basil shook her hand with a nod and left the arena without a word. Ruby didn't hang around and immediately returned to her seat, getting pats on the back from all of them. She was very pleased with herself and had every right to be.

Basil's team didn't seem to taunt him about his loss.

After class, Weiss came up to the team and said she needed to talk to Yang. With a wave, she hung back.

"What's up?"

"Okay, this is the current situation. A dance is being organised for everyone. Now, I was approached to aid in making arrangements, but given the large…variety of students in the school I decided I needed help. Will you help me Yang?"

This was the first Yang was hearing of a dance, but the answer was obvious. "Well, duh. So when is it?" Between the two of them, they should have everyone covered. If something came up, she could ask Blake.

Weiss looked visibly relieved. "Thank you. It's the last weekend of the month. My notes so far are currently in my dorm. Do you have time to look at them now?"

"Sure. Lead on."

* * *

Emerald's body was curled around Mercury on their bed.

The green quetzalcoatl was on Yang's bed, trying to figure out how to move on the ground. Emerald had figured out how to fly and was getting okay at it, though one misjudgement brought her back to the ground. She still had no idea how to mimic the way a snake naturally moved.

Ruby and Yang were out, doing some sister bonding activity. Even Mercury wasn't blind to the fact Yang seemed to spend more nights outside the dorm than inside and he didn't want Ruby to be sad over the loss of her sister's company.

Interestingly, Emerald's ability to use her Semblance on two minds at the same time was getting better. Mercury had told her the exercise he had done in detention and the two had been doing the task together, picking opposite subjects and quizzing each other on them while they wrote different essays. It had done her some good. She could alter their perception in the same way, but couldn't show them something different. The main improvement was that the headache wasn't as bad as it had been before.

[You're still moving your wings, Em.]

One advantage of trying to manoeuvre as a fox was that it had limbs he was accustomed to. He knew how a dog walked (thanks to that annoying mutt) and a reverse knee joint hadn't been that bad to find his balance on. It took him an hour to figure out how to walk. It had taken nearly all the rest of the day to fly.

His Gems had it a lot harder.

The problem was mostly balance and weight. Mercury had noticed when he carried the aura animals that there was practically no weight at all, but it didn't feel that way from their point of view. Emerald's 'weight' was balanced fairly equally all along the snake body, which made it difficult to fly despite the location of the wings. Humans use their legs to move around and their arms to grab stuff, which was an almost complete role reversal from a bird. Ruby hadn't managed to shift her 'weight' to fly in the direction she wanted to go and she really didn't like walking on those talons.

So far, Emerald hadn't managed to move from one end of the bed to the other without using the wings to help and sometimes moving off the bed altogether.

[Oh. Okay…left…right…]

It was rather amusing to watch, but she was making a little progress. At least the body remained on the bed even if the wings were moving.

[Hang on. I see what I'm doing wrong.]

This time, the head stayed fairly still. It was still moving too much and the wings were also moving, but her path seemed to look more like a natural snake. There was room for improvement and she was certainly slow, but it got her from A to B well enough.

[That was much better,] Mercury commented with a smile. It had taken Emerald over a week to get this far.

The attempt after wasn't as good. Then she managed it five times in a row.

The green faded from the aura animal and vanished soon after, with Mercury being too surprised to maintain the memory: a rather meaningless day that was somehow important to him. He couldn't even remember the exact date.

So far, the aura animal had always had to be touching his Gems for them to transfer back. Looked like they could return whenever they wanted. That made sense; Mercury only had will himself back into the human body, not touch it.

Emerald yawned. Between trying to focus her Maiden power (still not much luck), her Semblance (now taking into account shadows) and moving as a quetzalcoatl, she was exhausted. It probably wasn't a good idea to do so much in one night, but Emerald was disheartened by her lack of progress in two areas. He lay down properly next to her and she immediately snuggled into him. With a smile, he held her close.

Emerald dozed off.

Mercury wasn't tired, but he didn't get up. He glanced at the window again. He had been trying to get the fox to go through solid objects and he had had some luck. He had to put in less than 40 of his aura, but he was struggling to possess it without transferring at least 70. When he first made the fox, he had to put it all of his aura to possess it, so he was getting there. Maybe he just needed time and more experience.

Once the winged fox was outside the window, Mercury possessed it. 68. As a thought, he tried to transfer some of his aura back while remaining in the fox.

The results were interesting. He was still looking through the fox's eyes, but he could hear Emerald breathing. He could feel the wind, yet also the sheets underneath him. Then he lost his concentration and was fully the fox again.

When he tried a second time, he managed even less time and it also gave him a bit of a headache. Maybe his brain was struggling to adapt to two different inputs of the same sense. Still, if Aura Wielders had done so before, then maybe that was down to experience. After all, most people travelling at the speeds Ruby could reach would be sick, but she didn't notice because she was used to it.

A third attempt didn't seem to work at all and made his headache stronger.

That was probably what it felt like to be Emerald.

Mercury gave up on trying new techniques and merely began to glide around. He didn't know the physics of gravity, but he only needed to flap his wings when he wasn't gliding or when he needed more height or speed. Gliding was a steady speed. He had seen enough birds flying around to know that was odd.

Science never was one of his strong subjects.

About ten minutes into his flight around Beacon, he spotted Blake exit the school. She continued walking down the front path, obviously intending to leave the school grounds.

 _Where's she off to?_

Mercury stayed very high up. This wasn't any of his business. Maybe she was going out to a club or something like Yang sometimes did.

Sun then put in an appearance and caught up to her. It wasn't exactly arguing, but it wasn't a friendly discussion either. Oddly enough, Blake seemed to perk up a bit when Sun won the discussion. Now both were heading out.

Mercury might not understand socialising well, but even he knew this wasn't a date. Something was up.

Did he follow?

It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

They didn't talk much. Sun was giving Blake worried looks. Blake didn't look at him; kept staring straight ahead.

They headed straight into Vale. For some bizarre reason, they were aiming for a warehouse. A lot of Faunus showed up as well; all disappearing inside. This was some sort of Faunus meeting. Maybe a White Fang meeting.

This was worth a closer look.

There wasn't a simple way in. The most obvious was a window on the side of the building, but that was in plain view and he wasn't sure how to travel through walls. That was a major problem no matter what.

Still, if he didn't want to be seen, he needed to be in the rafters.

The roof was solid. Was there a way in despite that? What if…? It was worth the resulting headache to try.

Mercury pulled back, trying to be in both bodies at once. He willed the winged fox forward. His limbs and back ached. His head felt like it was about to split open. He didn't notice his limbs shaking, in both bodies. After two seconds, though it felt a lot longer, he pushed back into the winged fox again.

His vision remained black. Vaguely, he was aware he was standing on something. He was aware of voices, but he couldn't really register the words.

It took a little while for the headache to fade, but it faded quickly when it did. Immediately after, his sight returned.

It was definitely a White Fang meeting.

"…just joining us tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I assure you, he is the key to gaining what we fought for, for so long."

As he listened, he had a look around at the people in attendance.

It was easy to recognise Roman Torchwick. He didn't recognise the multi-coloured, though mostly pink, girl. The White Fang member that had introduced him was Adam's second in command, or something like that. Blake and Sun were down in the audience. No one else seemed to be of interest.

The robot on the other hand was something of great interest.

 _Atlas made a load of those things and then lost them?_

Idiots. Ironwood knew that the White Fang wanted firepower and were working with someone else with great influence. He brings a fleet to Vale as a precaution and yet doesn't protect _that_?

 _Southeast huh?_

Mercury would admit it, he was slightly impressed by Torchwick. Not many people could walk out onto a stage in front of people that loath him due to his race, use himself as an example of why that hatred was justified and still get the crowd cheering for him at the end.

"All new recruits, please come forward."

Blake and Sun didn't move, while others walked around them.

 _Busted guys._

Torchwick recognised them.

 _Double busted._

Blake shot out the fuse box. Then there was chaos.

Oddly enough, getting out of the building through the roof was a lot easier on him than getting in. A brief black vision and minor headache were the only problems. Looks like he only had to practice that technique and it would be fairly quick to grasp.

And there goes the robot after Blake and Sun.

Mercury was now very annoyed he was technically still at Beacon. That robot would have been a great thing to smash to pieces and he wouldn't even get in trouble for it. Although they might need a bit of help.

As Blake did lead him to the meeting, even unintentionally, he did sort of owe her for the info.

Noticing they were going in a straight line, Mercury returned to his human body but kept the fox going forward. He was about to call Ruby when he hesitated. She may not answer; it was special time with her sister.

So he called Yang instead, something he wouldn't do without a very good reason and she knew it. She answered instantly.

"This had better be good Mercury."

"Blake's in town with a giant robot after her."

"…What? What are-Hang on, that's Blake now."

Well, at least Blake called for backup when she thought she was out of her league. It was interesting she didn't call her team though. It didn't matter to him either way.

What Mercury did know was that in their current state, he and Emerald weren't ready for a fight like that. She was still dozing and he had very little aura left after his mucking around with it all night. The winged fox was still in Vale and that was as much help as he could give. Still, it wouldn't last long. A few hits would shatter his aura. Besides, a fox wasn't designed to fight, wings or not.

Back to the robot. For some reason best known to themselves, Blake and Sun had hit the highway. While they could just hitch a ride, which they were doing, there was nothing really stopping Torchwick (he assumed) from just throwing cars at them. In fact, he was still gaining.

It was quite a while before it occurred to Mercury to wonder if the people in the cars had their aura unlocked.

Not his problem either way. How was Ironwood going to explain away this spectacle?

Yang showed up on her bike that she had showed him how to ride at Patch (with the understanding he was to never touch it without permission). Mercury didn't see Ruby, but could sense she was moving and fast. He had always been impressed by her Semblance. Normally those that were fast didn't have great stamina or vice versa. Ruby had both and wasn't as fragile as she initially appeared. Regardless of her state of mind at the time, she had run halfway across a Kingdom in nearly a day.

The robot then decided to send a lot of cars flying behind it, though whether he was trying to stop or kill Yang, Mercury wasn't sure.

As the cars flew up, Mercury took a gamble.

In its little 'throw toys out the pram' game, the legs left the floor altogether for a few seconds. With as much speed as he could get in those seconds, Mercury smashed the fox body against its side.

That hurt. It took a good chunk of his aura as well. He had less than 5 left.

Ruby was waiting under the highway. Sun and Blake joined her very quickly. Yang showed up too, though Mercury had no idea where her bike went.

This was going to be a tough fight.

Ruby and Yang were sisters and had been able to fight together probably since Ruby could swing a scythe. They had seen Blake fight in Combat Class and knew a lot about her style and Semblance. Sun had only fought once and didn't use a Semblance. It was a pair and two strangers fighting against a machine designed for destruction.

Ruby would win.

Mercury rested on one of the supports of the highway, being sure to stay out of their way.

Ruby dashed straight at it, quick enough to do a little damage, but slow enough to see. She went straight between the legs, used her scythe to stop and began to fire. Sun and Blake moved in opposite directions. Yang was blasting and seeing if anything happened.

It didn't.

 _Ironwood certainly knows how to make a weapon._

Sun could make clones as well. Unlike Blake, he could make two but it seemed like he couldn't move while using them. It did knock the robot off course for a moment, making Ruby's dodge unnecessary, but it didn't seem to do any damage.

He had never seen Blake's clone attack. She used it for defence and evasion.

Sun also used a staff. Ironically, that was more useful for defence than Blake's blade.

 _Good balance though._

Individual attacks weren't working. Yang was too far away to do much damage, but the robot kept swiping around and not letting her get near. A good strategy for Sun as well as his staff seemed to turn into a nunchuck shotgun. Ruby had a sniper rifle, but there didn't appear to be a weak point to target.

That meant they had to make a target.

Ruby said something to Blake. Mercury was too far away to hear.

The four were positioned in a sort of square. That should mean it would be difficult to hit two people at once. That didn't take into account the fact that this thing apparently had missiles. Sun didn't have a chance to dodge.

Ironwood really was an idiot, though his taste in weapons wasn't half bad.

Blake threw her weapon towards the robot, keeping hold of the string. It jammed into the leg. Ruby ran by her full speed and snatched the thread. Yang and a recovered Sun kept on the offensive, so the guns were firing in that direction. The missiles caused the two to scatter to avoid being hit, but it didn't matter.

Ruby had wrapped the thick thread around the legs twice and between both her and Blake, managed to pull the legs together and make the robot collapse on its side.

 _Nice._

Naturally, the robot spun its arms, trying to push itself back up. It almost managed.

Sun took over from Ruby. "Go!"

The arm swung again. In a flash of red and a creak, that arm came off and crashed to the ground. Ruby stabbed her scythe in the ground, spun 180⁰ and swiped off the other.

 _Atta girl._

The robot did have a trick up its sleeve. By shooting at the ground, it was able to spin like a top. Another shot sent it airborne and more shots followed. It was impossible to predict when it would fire next.

All four of them got hit several times. Even Mercury had to take flight to remain above it. At least it didn't appear to have any missiles left.

Eventually, Yang had enough. With a growl, she used the recoil of her gauntlets to launch herself into the air. By pure luck, or by Ruby shooting as many bullets out of the air as she could, nothing seemed to hit her. Her fist connected and smashed the robot to the ground.

It broke apart on impact.

Torchwick dusted himself off, not looking like he had a care in the world. When Yang tried to blast him again (her Semblance was definitely active), someone else took the hit.

That was the woman Mercury had seen in the meeting.

That also happened to be an illusionist.

 _Where is Cinder finding these people?_

Yang, Blake and Sun began the trip back to Beacon. Ruby followed for a second before she looked back and stared straight at him. With a smile, she gestured for him to come down.

When he was hovering in front of her, she rested her hand on his head. [Thank you. I'll see you soon.]

[You'd better.] Mercury tipped his head down before giving her a gentle nuzzle.

She giggled and gave him a hug. With a wave, she turned and caught up with the others before they noticed she was missing.

Mercury's human eyes opened. He allowed the winged fox to fade. He was so tired.

That was when he noticed Emerald was awake and he was curled around her. She was running her hand through his hair. It always surprised him how much he enjoyed it; how much it soothed him.

"Have a good flight?"

"It was eventful. I followed Blake and Sun to a White Fang meeting and watched them and the sisters smash a robot to bits."

"Sounds like I missed out on a lot of fun." Her hand didn't stop.

"Well, I wasn't much help either. Had an excellent view for the show though."

Emerald let out a low chuckle. "I'm guessing no popcorn though."

Mercury chuckled as well. "Unfortunately not."

"So what'd you find out at the meeting?"

"Something big is going down in the southeast. There's a lot of White Fang activity there. Torchwick is definitely working with them and he mentioned an employer that is almost certainly Cinder. Doesn't sound like that's common knowledge among them though. Oh and Ironwood's 'donated' a lot of hard to destroy robots to their cause."

"Including the one that was destroyed?"

"Yep."

"The southeast…That's rather vague."

"Better than nothing." Okay, as much as he enjoyed the pampering, it was a little one sided. He reached up and pulled her so she was lying in his arms. He ran his hand up and down her back. She hummed and nuzzled into his neck.

"So we're going to try to stop her, rather just try to survive?"

He twirled one of her longer hair strands around his finger. "I think that's our best chance to survive."

Their only hope for survival and having a life they wanted was to eliminate Cinder. Mercury did recall her speaking on the phone to someone right before they headed to where the Fall Maiden was. It was possible that stopping Cinder alone wouldn't be enough.

Would they ever be left alone?

Seeing how uneasy Emerald was, Mercury chose not to tell her about those suspicions.

* * *

Ruby was in the middle again. Her Emery weren't happy that they weren't able to help her against Torchwick, but she wasn't angry. Emerald had exhausted herself trying to get stronger while Mercury had managed to help. If he hadn't knocked Torchwick off the highway, then a lot more people could have been hurt.

Besides, fighting alongside Sun and Blake had been an interesting experience. It had been fun thinking up a different strategy on the fly. Although now she thought of it, it would have worked with Emery too.

That hadn't even crossed her mind at the time. She had seen Blake's thread and knew they could take Torchwick down if they had a distraction. It would have worked just as well with Emerald's chains.

Maybe it had been subconscious?

Blake and Sun hadn't seen Mercury's winged fox. By chance, they had been looking at each other when he knocked Torchwick off the highway and he had stayed out of sight during the actual battle. His eavesdropping had gone unnoticed as well; no one would think to look in the rafters.

It was awesome that he could travel through solid objects. Like a ghost but better.

Blake had told them everything that happened at that meeting. She was willing to work with them. Mercury hadn't missed anything important, but at least that drawback was only temporary and was getting better.

It didn't take Ruby long at all to drop off.

When she was shaken awake, it was still dark outside. With a small yawn, she glared at the one who dared to wake her: Mercury. Why in the world did he do that? Evil jerk.

"This had better be good Merc."

For some reason, he smiled at those words before he looked over his shoulder at Yang. "Your sister's mumbling and twitching. It's not normal."

Oh. Yang was having a nightmare. That was a very good reason.

Mercury had already loosened his grip. Emerald wasn't happy when Ruby wriggled out of hers, but when Ruby mouthed her sister's name, she sighed and relented. Ruby gave her a brief kiss on the cheek and then quickly crawled out of their bed.

Yang was curled up, muttering too fast for Ruby to catch the words. She had never seen her older sister have a nightmare. Yang had comforted her plenty of times when she had one, but never Yang. Why?

Yang woke the moment Ruby touched her to hold her.

[What's wrong?] Ruby asked. Yang didn't respond. She probably wasn't aura reading her. She pushed her way into her sister's bed and tried again. [What's wrong?]

Yang sighed and put her arms around her. [You're growing up. I don't like that.]

Huh? [I don't understand. Everyone grows up.]

[Doesn't mean I have to like it Ruby. You're my little sister. It's my job to look after you.]

Ruby really didn't understand. [Well, if I grow up right, someone who Mom and Dad would be proud of…Doesn't that mean you and Dad did a good job? I mean, we'll be on different jobs as Huntresses when we graduate.] Probably.

A sad smile. [Probably.]

That obviously wasn't what Yang wanted to hear. [I was born after you so I'm always going to be your younger sister. I'm just not so little anymore.]

That seemed better. [I think you've still got a little growing to do.]

[Well, I am still in training. And when I graduate, I'm going to make you proud!]

That smile was more genuine now. [I'm sure you will.]

It had been years since the sisters had shared a bed and it had always been Ruby's nightmares that were the cause. While logically Ruby knew Yang must get them as well, somehow it hadn't clicked.

Ruby was going to do everyone proud.


	18. Prom

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Ruby had gleefully faced down a gorilla Grimm. She had never backed down from a challenge, had stared down Weiss at her most angry, had managed to beat Nora in a brownie eating contest and had managed to take down two of ZBRN in a four on one match.

However, Yang had finally found her sister's weakness.

"Dance?! What are you talking about; dance?"

"A dance. You know, when people move in time to music? Normally in formal dress?" Yang was having so much fun with this.

It had taken a few weeks but she, Weiss, Blake and Melody had managed to hammer out details and were ready to go. Now they were spreading the news around the school. The reactions were mixed, though usually positive and everyone had seemed interested to some point.

Ruby's reaction was by far the best.

"But-But Yang…Why a dance?"

"Why not?"

"It's a dance!"

"Yes, I've said that."

"I can't dance!"

"I'm very doubtful your Emery can either."

Ruby groaned and collapsed on the bed. "It's a dance."

"Uh huh. So…What are you going to wear?"

She sighed, defeated. "I don't know. I'll need to get something."

Yang laughed. "Come on, cheer up! Who knows when we'll go to another dance? Just think of it as a new adventure." Looking at Ruby's face, she knew she had used the wrong word. "Okay, just think of it as a new challenge."

"Right…A new challenge…"

That was better, even if she hadn't perked up. "I'm going to find a dress tomorrow. Coco told me about a fantastic shop in town. Want to come with?" Maybe if she sweetened the deal… "We can stop at the ice cream parlour on the way back."

"Yeah, sure." Ruby did not sound happy in the slightest.

"You know Ruby, there's no chance of enjoying it if you're dreading it this much. Even if it won't be great, it'll be okay."

"I guess."

Ruby would warm to the idea. Eventually. She just wasn't thinking right at the moment. "So do you want to tell them, or shall I?"

Deer in the headlights. "Umm-"

"I'll tell them then." With a cheerful wave and ignoring Ruby's grumbling, Yang spun on her heel and headed down the hall. Now she just had to find Ruby's Emery. And probably explain in detail why the dance was a good idea.

It may also be a good idea to kidnap Mercury for some dancing lessons. Maybe Jaune would be willing to help Emerald and Ruby.

A brief search around campus brought no results. Once she had turned another corner on her third look around though, Yang bumped straight into someone. "Hey Melody. Have you seen Emerald or Mercury?"

"They're probably in Vale by now. Jaune, Zephyr and Sun took Mercury while Blake and Pyrrha were with Emerald."

Yang tutted, annoyed she missed it. "How did they take the news?"

"'Resigned' was the word that popped into my head."

'Resigned' was often the word they associated with these days, unless it came to Ruby. That wasn't what was important though. "You said I could tell them."

"I wasn't the one who told them. I did manage to catch the boys before they left. Mercury agreed to try and help with our team's problem."

"That problem being Pyrrha has a crush on Jaune and Jaune is the most oblivious idiot on the planet?"

"That would be the one."

Ah. "You do know that he's going to want something in return?"

"He mentioned that. We agreed that the favour depends on his success."

"Smart." It was for good reason that the shops selling male and female formal wear were on opposite sides of Vale. Although… "Do you know when the girls will be back?"

"Well, two hours max? I know Pyrrha isn't a huge shopper and I don't think Blake is either. What about Emerald?"

"She's the same." That meant a change of plans. "Thanks."

"Hey, no worries. Do you know where Neptune is?"

Yang thought back. She had spent the morning in the library with them to finalise the plans and had gone immediately to the dorm to talk to Ruby. She did hear some girls talking about Neptune on the way though. What had they said?

"Try the courtyard. I think."

"Cheers." With a smile and a nod, Melody ran off.

 _Why is she looking for Neptune? And why did Sun not bring him out instead of Mercury, Jaune and Zephyr?_

Yang shrugged and headed back to the dorm. It would be tricky, but she had no idea when the trio would naturally be apart again. They did spend most of their time together, though there were times they spent away from the other two. Those times were rare.

Given that Ruby didn't know about the dance but her Emery had been dragged out for outfits made Yang wonder what excuse had been given at the time. Maybe she would quiz Blake and Sun later.

As luck would have it, she wasn't far from the dorm.

Ruby was still sitting on the bed, staring out the window. She jumped when she heard the door opened.

Yang chose to ignore it. "Change of plans Ruby. Fancy finding a dress in two hours?"

"Does that mean it's going to take two hours or that we're going in two hours?"

"Going in two hours."

"Great."

Oddly enough, that wasn't sarcastic. Sounds like Ruby was starting to think it would be a good time.

Was that a good or a bad thing?

* * *

"Nope. Not happening." Mercury dropped the suit back on the hanger and walked to the other side of the store. He wasn't sure which was worse: the suffocating collar or the bow tie.

"That is the cheapest Mercury," Zephyr pointed out, "especially if you're only wearing it once."

"If I'm spending my money on something, it's going to be something I actually like. Or don't hate. I'll take that too."

"He does have two girls to impress," Sun agreed.

"Says the guy who has a date and is only going to change his shirt." At best. Mercury dragged his eyes through the racks. He had already ruled out half of them at a glance. "What about you Jaune?"

The guy was startled to be put on the spot. "What about me?"

"You going stag or you asking a girl?"

"Oh please." Jaune let out a laugh. "What girl would want to go with me?"

How dense was this idiot? How had he not noticed that Pyrrha wanted him? Even Mercury had seen it without it needing to be spelt out. "Not even Weiss?"

"Weiss…That's a good one. She's interested in Neptune anyway."

Neptune? That was an interesting choice for the heiress. Also a stupid one. "Okay, who's Melody going with?"

"She's either going alone or with a few friends. She doesn't have a date in mind." Probably due to her boyfriend not attending Beacon.

"Pyrrha?"

"Oh come on. She's the Invincible Girl. She probably has a long line of guys fighting each other to ask her."

"So you would want to get in there first."

"Exact-Hey! No!"

The other three burst out laughing. That was almost too easy.

"Come on guys. I'm not good enough for her."

Sun was still chuckling and pointed. "I don't know. The only boy who could be considered invincible is him and he's going to have both his hands full."

Mercury appreciated the compliment. "I would also add that cheating on my Gems is not good for my continued health." He would never want anyone else anyway.

"Besides, Pyrrha's not taken. At least, I don't think she is. So you can ask her as a date."

There was a rule among all the schools that taken boys or girls were off the market completely. If there is a break up then that's fair enough, but until then no one was to try and steal them. It was a rule that every student followed.

"Real funny guys." Jaune really didn't get it. "Okay, we've gone through my team. What about Yang?"

Mercury hummed and shrugged. "No idea, didn't asked her. My bet would be on some of her friends, like Melody. If she was going to go with a boy…" He actually put some thought into his answer. "I would say Scarlet."

"Scarlet?" Sun was surprised at that. "Really?"

"Really. Maybe not as a date, but he likes a party as much as she does."

"That's true," Zephyr nodded. "Or maybe Galon."

"Nah. Too high maintenance. She's only after a good time. Let me guess: Ren and Nora right?"

"Yeah. Just as friends though. Nora's quite insistent I add that. I have to warn you Sun: hurt Blake and you'll be dealing with us. In fact, we might just bury the pieces after Nora is done with you."

Sun did look scared for a moment there. For good reason. "Got it." He separated one suit from the others. "Think I should wear a tie? Do you guys know how to tie a tie?"

Mercury chuckled. He'd never owned a tie and would have happily never bought one in his life.

"Tie a tie?" Zephyr asked as he studied one he had taken a fancy to. "I've never worn a tie."

"You guys are hopeless," Jaune laughed.

"Bit rich coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mercury had decided that the one piece suits weren't for him, so he had wandered over to the blazers. It hadn't taken long to find one he liked: the shoulders, sleeves, lapels and pocket flaps were black while the rest was a very dark grey. A silver or light grey shirt with a plain black tie would do it.

"Honestly Jaune, you might want to ask Pyrrha to make sure she has a good time." He threw the blazer over his arm. "A guy who wants her because she's the Invincible Girl is going to make her miserable." And he did not want to put up with that sort of drama.

That and he did have to make some sort of effort to get Jaune to ask her. He had an agreement with Melody after all.

"You think?"

"Definitely." There was an ally in Sun at least. "Besides, she likes spending time with you. She's turned down a lot of blokes for you over the past few weeks. Including Sage."

"She turned Sage down?" This was the first Mercury heard of it. Then again, he never paid much attention to other people's love lives.

"Yep, said she wasn't interested in boys. First we thought she liked girls until we saw her with you. It was obvious."

"But-But…" Jaune was clearly in denial. "You're all crazy."

Sun shrugged. "The easiest way is to ask her and see what she says. The worst that might happen is that she'll say no."

"She won't even be a jerk about it," Zephyr agreed. He had found his suit and was now waiting on the others.

"Okay, okay. I'll ask her. I'll just say 'I told you so'."

"You do that," Mercury smirked. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Emerald was counting herself very lucky she hadn't been dragged out by Yang or Violet. They could spend hours clothes shopping and made her sympathise with a doll. Shopping was something that needed to done, not a hobby.

Pyrrha and Blake understood that. They also had a rough idea what they wanted before they stepped into the shop.

Emerald knew the colour. That was about it. She had always thought dresses were very inconvenient, despite knowing Cinder could easily fight in one. Holly fought in one as well and Emerald still didn't understand it.

The girls may know what they wanted, but it was still a hassle to find.

"What about this?"

"There's not one in my size."

"Why do so many have too much glitter or sequins in them?"

Emerald shrugged to Blake's question. She didn't really want to go to the dance. There were a few people she could tolerate (more than she expected when she started the year), but there were a lot of strangers and they were expected to be polite and friendly during the whole thing. No telling an idiot to get lost, then getting violent when they didn't get the hint.

She hated social events she had no choice but to attend. She was looking forward to spending time with her Quicksilver and Mercury in a suit was not an event to be missed out on. Now she thought about it, he would hate this more than she did.

Still, it may be a good night for blackmail material.

Emerald was looking forward to a dance with them though. She would admit that to herself.

Pyrrha stepped out of one of the dressing rooms, one possibility hanging over her arm. "I'm not fond of the sleeves."

"Not a fan of those sleeves or sleeves in general?" Emerald liked feeling the wind on her skin and since becoming part Maiden, she had never felt cold. The few jumpers she had brought to Beacon were still sitting in the suitcase under their bed.

"I'm not sure." Pyrrha looked depressed. That may have been due to thinking that Jaune wouldn't ask her. It was obvious she liked him. "What about you?"

"Definitely without sleeves. Not sure if I'm going for long or short dress though." After trying on a long dress, she was thinking a mid-length dress. She had never needed to wear a dress, so she wasn't sure what she was looking for.

Blake left her dressing room with her dress on her arm as well.

"No?" Emerald guessed.

"No," Blake agreed. "Wrong shape." She returned the dress and studied a few others. She had a small smile on her face and had done so for a while. That might be due to the fact she was looking forward to a good time.

Emerald pushed the hangers along. Those were the wrong colour. Those were just wrong. The lace on that was horrible. Frills were out as well.

"Are you going to ask Jaune?" Blake asked.

Pyrrha smiled. It must be fake, but it didn't look it. Until she had gotten to know her (put up with her initially) Emerald wouldn't have seen it. "I don't think so. He probably has someone else in mind."

"Like who?" Emerald scoffed. "The only girl he's had a crush on is Weiss and that vanished quick in the first week."

"Maybe he's no longer interested in dating."

"Now you're just making excuses." No to that dress as well.

"Maybe he just needs a little push," Blake contributed. "Why not ask him as a friend, rather than a date?"

"I'm sure he will ask someone." Pyrrha slipped into a dressing room again.

Emerald and Blake exchanged a look.

Did Jaune have feelings for her? Possibly. Emerald had never seen anything either way. She did think it would be a good idea for them to go with each other so a parasite wouldn't pick Pyrrha and to give Jaune more comfortable around good fighters. He still got some rub for not being a competent fighter despite his improvement.

More than once Melody had commented (complained) about her team's crushes or the blindness to it. If Jaune was still pinning over Weiss, it would be a real mess. Recently, it was that Neptune was leading Weiss on and given that he had flirted with her despite knowing she was taken (not seriously as there were rules and he really didn't want to wrangle with Merc) Emerald had to concur.

It said a lot about the team that the teen who left her boyfriend back in Mistral had the steadiest relationship.

That dress looked promising. Emerald pulled it off the hangar to get a better look.

"Did you fancy Ruby and Mercury when you first met them?"

"Nope. Ruby was a good friend and Mercury…" The dress was the right shape and colour, but she didn't like the bow on the shoulder strap. "I hated his guts."

"He was worse than he is now?"

"Not exactly. He just tends to censor his words now." Most of the time. "I've got to know him a lot better though. Some things just take time." And she couldn't be happier. "Do I need to say anything about Ruby?"

Blake's smile grew a little wider and much fonder. "No. It's difficult not to like Ruby when you get to know her."

Ruby was still theirs though.

That was the dress Emerald wanted. She found her size and pulled it off the hangar. A beautiful green with a high neck like she was used to, with no sleeves. Darker green stitching was around the neck and shoulders, along with being threaded subtly through the length. It was a gown, but one that wasn't restricting. Perfect.

When Pyrrha appeared still in her gown, it seemed she had found hers as well.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I like it," Emerald responded. It wouldn't suit her, but it was stunning on Pyrrha.

Blake nodded. "Beautiful. It really suits you."

Emerald's attention returned to the dress in her hands. As much as she was dreading this dance, as more time passed the more she actually looked forward to it. It was new and was a far cry from what she was used to. That was the root of her fear, but there should be nothing to worry about.

Maybe by the time the dance rolled around, she would be excited.

* * *

"This is the fourth dress Yang."

"That's because you didn't like the other three you picked out Ruby."

Ruby was aware how odd it was. Normally Yang was the eccentric shopper and Ruby got dragged along. For the first time in ever, Ruby was just as eager. She really wanted to put a lot of effort into this very worthy cause.

A dance was a nightmare. A dance with her Emery would be a dream.

Ruby wanted the night to be perfect.

No.

No.

Nope.

Absolutely never.

Finding a dress she was willing to wear was proving difficult. So far, she had forced herself not to think on shoes. She was hoping for pumps, but maybe ( _maybe_ ) she would be willing to wear heels. As long as she could actually walk. She had no idea how Emerald fought in them.

Ruby had already chosen her favourite colour for the dress (most others didn't suit her), but she didn't like any of the ones she had tried. Most had been rejected on the hangar and the rest had just looked wrong when she tried them on.

This was one of the reasons she hated clothes shopping.

Another twenty minutes and Ruby knew the problem. "I like the dresses here Yang and I can see why Coco recommended it, but this is the wrong store."

Yang had already picked her choice, amazingly. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well, they're too…complex. I want something simpler. That's more…me." She really wanted to make the effort, but she also still wanted to go as herself.

Her sister looked like she was about to say something, but then nodded. "Okay, fair enough. I know just the place."

While the next shop was smaller, it was less flashy and Ruby liked that. She quickly searched through the nearest rack and, while they were the wrong colour and size, she liked the designs.

"Over here, Ruby." Yang was gesturing to the far wall. The range was smaller, but it was what Ruby was looking for. Within five minutes, she found three possible choices.

"Which do you think Yang?"

"Try them on. You're the one who's got to wear them. How many do you want?"

"Just the one."

"Better make sure it's the right one then."

It wasn't easy. She liked each dress for a different reason, which made comparing them a hassle. She had switched them four times each and wasn't any closer to finding the one she wanted. It made her think none of them were the one she wanted.

It was a disappointed Ruby that re-joined her sister at the clothes rack.

"Well? Which one?"

Ruby sighed. "None of them are right. They're close, but not _right_." She couldn't explain it any other way.

Yang seemed to understand. "Take your time. It's a _very_ special occasion." Her grin was very annoying. How had she found her dress so fast and _Ruby_ was still struggling? Ruby suddenly had the feeling Yang had been looking since she started organising the dance with the others.

If so, that was flat out cheating.

Then she saw it. Ignoring whatever Yang was saying, Ruby dashed to it and pulled it off the hangar. It was red like she wanted, but the very top was almost a grey crop top, partially see through but not very. There was a black band around the waist and a thin line around the very bottom of the dress.

"This one," Ruby declared. Lucky for her, they did have her size.

Yang certainly shared her enthusiasm. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go try it on!"

She happily obliged. It was very comfortable and looking in the mirror, Ruby barely recognised herself. It was simple, but so very perfect. It fit her just right and, amazingly, she _wanted_ to wear it.

"Definitely this one!" Ruby wasn't even bothered when Yang took a picture. She studied her image in the mirror. "Pumps or heels Yang?"

"Sorry Rubes, but that's definitely a heel dress. I can help you there. Or you could ask Weiss?"

Ruby sighed. "Alright. It's okay. I can wear heels for one night. Umm, would you mind…?"

"Sure. We'll start tonight."

While Ruby paid for her dress, they put it in Yang's bag to save space and carrier bags. The heels had been a lot easier to find and that box was sitting in a separate bag that Yang was also happy to carry. High enough to be called heels, low enough that Ruby didn't need a ladder to get into them.

Yang stopped to talk to Raine. Ruby didn't notice at first. She had caught sight of Emery on the street corner. They were laughing over something, with Em leaning on him. Mercury saw her, spoke to Emerald and the pair came over.

"Hey Ruby," Emerald smiled. "We're kidnapping you for the rest of the day. You mind?"

"Not at all." She waved a goodbye to her sister, receiving one in return and snuggled into Emerald's side as they headed off. Emerald threw an arm around her and kept her close. "So where are we going?"

Mercury smiled and ran a finger down her cheek. "I was thinking dinner and a surprise."

A surprise? "Sounds wonderful."

* * *

Yang folded up Ruby's dress with care. Sun and Blake had met up with her once she got back to Beacon and given her Ruby's Emery's bags. That explained why they didn't have any with them earlier before they took Ruby (although Emerald had sent her a message to ask). Naturally she had taken a peek and she liked. They had both put thought and effort into their shopping excursion.

They may not like the idea of a dance, but they were serious about it.

Yang was sure a good time would be had by all.

It had been very odd that Ruby was so excited to find a dress. Normally she hated trips like that, but today she had been more energetic than Yang. She had gone from dreading the dance to looking forward to it within a few hours. Even the idea of wearing heels didn't seem to bring her down much.

Yang wasn't sure how she felt about that.

There was a knock on the door. It was Melody and Yang was happy to invite her into the room.

"Well, I officially owe Mercury a favour."

The idiot actually managed it? "Jaune actually asked her?"

"Yep. I've never seen her so happy."

About time. "Date or friend?"

"He didn't say. Don't think it really matters. He asked her. He didn't have that oblivious look on his face when he asked either. Looks like the boys got through to him."

"It only took a few months." Yang laughed. "So we're all set then?"

Melody's face dropped. "Guess so. Weiss asked Neptune. He turned her down. Not much we can do about that."

Neptune had flirted with everyone, but he did seem genuinely interested in Weiss. Or at least, more interested in Weiss than anyone else. Turning her down made no sense whatsoever. "Is he going with someone else?"

"Not that I know. You can ask his teammates; they'll probably know."

"Huh. I'll ask Scarlet. I'm meeting him tonight to go clubbing. Want to come?"

"Nah. Nyall's coming for the festival and he's spending the weekend here. Shame he can't make next weekend, but I'll take what I can get."

Nyall was her boyfriend. He was training to become a Huntsman but because he started later than most and wasn't ready for more intense combat, he hadn't applied for Haven as he knew he wouldn't get in. When Melody had been rejected from Haven due to the year being full, she applied to Beacon and was accepted. Unknown to her that was due to Ruby and her Emery messing up the numbers by attending.

For a long distance relationship, it was going strong.

"No chance he can make it to the dance?"

"It's not looking like it."

"Ah. Sorry about that."

Melody waved her off. "We wouldn't have been ready for this weekend. I knew that when we were planning it, so I didn't say anything. If he can come, he will. If he can't, he can't. Nothing I can do about it."

"Still, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Just let me know why Neptune is making our spoilt heiress miserable. It's rather annoying that we've managed to cheer up one girl and now another is depressed."

"Will do Agony Aunt Melody."

* * *

Ruby had no idea what Mercury had in mind. He was leading them through the streets with obvious purpose. There weren't many people around now. He took them to the harbour, but led them down the pier against the slight cliff, past the railing. He hopped onto the rocks.

"Careful. These are slippery." Then he vanished three rocks later.

"Merc?" Ruby thought he had gone right but he would have crashed into the cliff, wouldn't he? That is where he seemed to be.

"Seems Merc's managed to find a nice little hideaway," Emerald commented, amused. "Come on Ruby. Let's see what he has in mind."

Emerald took care as she stepped from rock to rock. She hesitated when she landed on the one they had last seen Mercury on. Her hand ran along the wall and she knelt down. "Ah. That's clever." She definitely stepped right and vanished from view as well.

Ruby frowned. The rocks weren't as slippery as she expected, but she could see the need for a warning. On the specific rock, she spotted a hole in the cliff to her right. She never would have found it if Mercury hadn't shown them it was here. She ducked down and easily stepped into the hole.

She caught light to her left. After several steps down a tunnel, there was a cavern. Not small and not large. On the other side, there was no wall but the sea brushed softly against sand and there wasn't a ship in sight. Just beautiful blue.

"Wow!"

Mercury chuckled. He and Emerald were sitting relaxed against the wall. "Give it a little while. You'll see then."

"How'd you find this place?"

"Exploring as a fox. You'd be amazed the sort of places you can find. You can only get here by the route I showed you or by swimming and the current is too strong if you go too far out from here."

"How far out?"

"A few hundred metres? Something like that."

So it was their little secret. Ruby liked that. Maybe she would quiz him on other special places he knew, but it would feel nicer if he showed them like he had today. It was much better.

Ruby was feeling a little daring. Rather than pick one of them to sit next to, she lay down across their laps and curled up to get more comfortable. Emerald began to pat her head and run her fingers through her hair. Mercury gently rubbed her back. Ruby relaxed.

Heavenly.

"Have you been told about a dance the weekend after next?" Mercury asked. His actions were so calming.

"Blake may have mentioned it," Emerald responded. Her head was resting on Mercury's shoulder, but her hand never stopped moving.

"Mm-hmm," was Ruby's contribution.

"Would you two do me the honour of being my dates?"

Ruby's heart skipped a beat. Emerald's hand hesitated for less than a millisecond. Excitement.

"You're quite the gentleman when you want to be Merc," Emerald teased. Mercury tutted while Ruby giggled. Emerald gently placed a kiss on his neck. "I would love to."

Ruby reached her hand up and ran her finger down his cheek, just like he did earlier. "I can't wait."

Mercury had asked them. Ruby had no doubt he would, but he had asked them. It was going to be their special night. No, Ruby honestly couldn't wait.

She must have fallen into a trance because she became aware once more when Mercury gently shook her shoulder. She hadn't noticed; she had been far too comfortable and had been content with the quiet. Time had had no meaning.

His eyes then slid to the 'beach' entrance. "Take a look."

Rather than get up, Ruby just twisted and lifted her head. She gasped.

The sun reflected against the sea and appeared to make the water a gorgeous amber and red. Purple flecks scattered across the water and the sand seemed to glisten, almost like crystals. As the red orb lowered, the sea glowed burnt amber as the yellow in the colour faded. The sea was completely still. Pure peace.

* * *

If asked about the week leading up to the dance, few students would be able to describe anything about their classes or even the idea of their field trips the following week. All focus was on the special weekend. Despite the mixture of reactions when first told of the event, all were now looking forward to it.

Yang and Melody were acting as hostesses, with great enthusiasm.

It wasn't long until the ballroom began to fill up. Some people turned up on their own, more showed up with a date and the most showed up with friends or with their team. Everyone arrived in very good spirits.

Yang checked the guest list, mainly her friends.

Weiss had arrived with Neptune in tow, after Yang had grilled him for hours with the fact that 'not being able to dance' was not a valid excuse to turn down a girl (much to his team's amusement). Sun and Blake had arrived a few minutes after, with Sun having changed his shirt and actually wearing a tie.

Wonders never ceased.

Jaune and Pyrrha showed up together very early on as well, with both being very comfortable with each other. Zephyr had arrived stag. Ren and Nora were together, but just as friends. Nora insisted.

CDRL had arrived as a team, while SVDG and HION were encouraging inter school relationships. HION had definitely started to date other boys, while SVDG were happy for friendships.

When the ballroom door opened again, Yang was greeted by who she wanted to see most. "I was worried for a minute you guys weren't going to make it."

"There was no way we were missing this."

Ruby certainly didn't look like a little girl now. Despite seeing her in the dress before, in the correct setting, it was amazing. Her eyes seemed to sparkle. A very different girl that would mature into an incredible woman.

Her Emery were the same yet different.

No one looking at Emerald would ever think of her as a street kid. She was beautiful; there was no other word for it. That wasn't the only difference. This was Emerald as she should have been for all those years when she had been thought of as worthless. Self-confident with a strong sense of purpose, only this wasn't an act that no one could see through unless she let them.

Mercury. He certainly dressed up well and yet still managed to find formal wear that suited him. The cufflink was resting on the knot of his tie under his unbuttoned collar. His arrogant smirk was still there, but there was a gleam in his eyes that was originally rarely seen when he was at Patch. For once, Yang didn't see a four month younger than her teenager but a young man that carried a challenge to the world.

The three looked _right_ together.

Any anger Yang had left for the three dating faded.

"Make sure to enjoy yourselves."

Emerald chuckled. "Don't worry. We will."

Ruby nodded. "You helped in creating this dance Yang. It'll be great."

When RNBW arrived as a team ten minutes later, Yang knew that everyone had arrived from the ones that were coming. While she would be keeping an eye out in case some people did change their minds and arrive later, her job for the time being was done and she could go mingle.

As she recalled, she owed Melody and Scarlet a dance.

* * *

As hoped for when the evening was planning, enjoyment was being had by all. For this night only, even those that saw each other as bitter rivals called a truce. Yang could be seen having a civil chat with Opal. Cardin was at the punch bowl at the same time as Sun and Blake.

The Vytal Festival was a time of peace. This dance was one event of many.

An hour after their arrival, Mercury was approached by Jaune, who asked for a talk while Pyrrha was chatting with Zephyr. When his Gems promised him it was okay, the two left to one of the balconies to avoid the noise.

"For the record Jaune…You cannot say 'I told you so'."

"Yeah…Looks like I was wrong."

"Can I say 'I told you so'?"

"Please don't."

"So what did you drag me out here to say?"

"That's…It's…It's about Pyrrha."

"So why are you asking me? I could count on one hand how many conversations we've had. She's doted on you since you two met."

"That's…Umm…I wanted to ask you about Ruby and Emerald."

"What about them?"

"Did you fancy them when you first met?"

"Sheesh…No. Ruby was a friend and Emerald didn't like me. Fair enough actually; my favourite pastime back then was winding her up."

"Emerald didn't like you? You two are rarely apart and that was before you started dating."

"You are denser than an Atlas iceberg, you know that? I met Emerald and Ruby four months before we started dating. Plenty of time for ideas to change. Now I've got to get back to my Gems and you've got a date to talk to."

The night continued. Often those that came as a couple split up to talk and dance with others, though they normally returned to each other after a while. Worries faded as the hour grew later and peace was enjoyed. As the music played, the sounds of chatter and laughter added for a wonderful atmosphere.

Near eleven, Melody and Blake met in the box overlooking the dancefloor. Team HION had performed a four person dance routine before that was spectacular and at the moment, team SSSN were enjoying centre stage. Neptune's movements were a lot stiffer than the others, but it wasn't too embarrassing.

"And this is what a dance is supposed to be like."

"Yeah. Everyone looks like they're having fun. With all the excitement from the Festival, I think everyone needed a way to relax."

"So long as the date doesn't get upset. That we could do without."

"There doesn't appear to be any danger of that. So far, everyone seems to have stuck to the unspoken rule…I'm sorry Nyall couldn't make it."

"He's arriving in Vale for the Festival next weekend. I'll have plenty of time to see him then. How's your time with Sun?"

"Good."

"Good to hear. Fancy a dance?"

Time passed quickly. Despite the large attendance, there was no colliding with others when not paying attention and everyone dancing appeared to be in sync when stepping around. Few people stayed at the punch bowl for more than two drinks at a time. Regardless of personalities, socialising was not considered a chore.

At the end of the year, they were competitors and rivals. Tonight, they were friends and partners.

When Zephyr and Nash were at the punch bowl, they were very relaxed from the pleasant atmosphere.

"Got to hand it to them: they know how to throw a party."

"Can't deny that. Weiss helped, I know that. Who else was involved?"

"Yang, Blake and Melody. The fog machines were probably Yang's idea. Give it another hour and we'll see how good of an idea it was."

"Probably very if the others agreed to it. Or at least okay."

"Well, all four are very different. They must have had everyone in Beacon covered and probably the other schools too. Party goers, introverts, nutters…You name it and they've probably planned for it."

"Not that surprising. Weiss and Yang must see the words 'party' and 'dance' quite differently. Can you imagine them on the same team?"

"Easier than I can imagine Weiss and Blake."

"That's a recipe for disaster."

"Yep. You may want to go. Your girlfriend's getting a little annoyed at your disappearance."

"She's not my girlfriend. I did say I would give her a dance though, so I should probably get over there."

"Definitely a good idea. Relax. Holly's got a very short attention span. She'll leave you alone after that one dance."

"Good to hear."

"Her actual boyfriend may not like you spending time with her at all."

"Too bad."

"Can't say I didn't warn you."

It was nigh on impossible to tell which student belonged to which school. Even those that had arrived as a team soon separated and mingled. Strangers met on good terms while friendships were strengthened. Not one cross word was said.

Teammates, friends and strangers exchanged partners on the dance floor without a second thought. A good time was wanted by all and no one was willing to bring the wonderful time down. Those that were not interested in dancing had congregated to the tables and were chatting merrily.

Daisy was getting herself a drink when Weiss separated from Neptune as he went to talk to Sage.

"Good evening Weiss."

"Good evening. I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

"Greatly. You did an excellent job organising this event."

"It wasn't just my work. The credit also goes to Blake, Yang and Melody. They contributed just as much as I did. I understand you went to Signal with Yang?"

"Yep. Never liked her or her annoying little sister. You don't need to worry about us spoiling your dance; now isn't the time for fighting."

"Everyone would appreciate that. Although…I have never seen you guys squabble. You don't even taunt each other much, compared to Yang's usual opponents."

"We don't like each other. We just limit our exchanges to the arena. It saves time better spent on more enjoyable activities for both of us. It's mutually beneficial."

"I understand and agree with that logic. Thanks for the advice."

"Your welcome. I find it necessary when forced to co-exist at a boarding school with those I dislike. Everyone has different ways of coping and Combat class is a great way to…"

"Express frustrations, especially against the source?"

"Exactly."

"Come to think of it, we have never sparred. Fancy a match, in preparation for the tournament?"

"I would be delighted."

There was a difference in battling Grimm and sparring with other combatants. One was a fight for survival while the other is a stepping stone to learn more about another's and your own techniques, along with strategies to improve.

Tonight, the students were learning more about others and themselves.

* * *

It was a little after midnight that Ruby began to feel a little uncomfortable. While Yang had taught her how to walk in the death traps and Jaune had helped to teach her to dance, she was still not used to the angle she had to stand. Her feet were starting to ache and she was beginning to feel a little hot, probably due to all the people in the ballroom. The three had spent time sitting at the tables earlier, but that hadn't helped. Maybe getting some fresh air would do her some good. She had seen a few students duck out earlier before returning after a few minutes.

Ruby raised her head from where she had been resting it against her dance partner. "I think I'm going to get some air. It's a bit too hot at the moment."

Emerald probably hadn't noticed; she wasn't affected by the temperature. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine. Just too hot and a drink didn't help."

"You're sure?"

"Mm-hm."

With a smile, Emerald gently pushed her lips against Ruby's before pulling back again. "Let us know if you've had enough and want to go back."

Her cheeks heated up for a very different reason. "There's no need to stop your nice time for me, but I'll let you know." Ruby was enjoying the dance too much to leave just yet. After giving Emerald a little kiss of her own, she pulled away.

Music drifted from the ballroom quietly.

The night breeze was a very welcome relief to her skin. Ruby was now very grateful she had worn a sleeveless dress. Deep breaths helped control her racing heart. It may take a little while for her to cool down a bit, so she glared at her shoes. Would it be worth taking them off for a bit?

"Hello Ruby."

Ruby turned and smiled at Pyrrha. "Hi. Having a good time?"

"Yes. It's just time for me to head back." Pyrrha glanced back at the ballroom. Ruby didn't know why she was leaving so soon, but she didn't want to upset her by asking. "Are you okay?"

"Just overheating. I'll head back in when I've cooled down."

"It does get too hot in there. I'll see on Monday Ruby."

"Bye."

After Pyrrha disappeared, Ruby went back to glaring at her heels. Honestly, who decided to invent these death traps? It had not been a smart idea at all.

A few minutes passed when Ruby realised Pyrrha had left on her own. Jaune hadn't been with her. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen them together very much during the night. They danced together at first, but the two had spent most of the time with other friends.

Was something wrong?

Ruby hadn't been paying much attention to anyone other than her Emery, but she thought about what she remembered. Yang had been dancing and talking with many of the students and was obviously in a very good mood. Sun and Blake were having a great time, as was Melody. Dancing didn't seem to be Zephyr's thing, but he seemed happy enough. Nora and Ren were enjoying themselves and the ballroom was still standing. She had thought that Pyrrha and Jaune had been enjoying themselves, but maybe something happened?

Maybe on Monday, before she headed out on her field trip, she would ask.

Ruby and her Emery had been having a wonderful time. She had loved every single second of it. This was one night that should never end. It was beyond special.

The moon that night was mostly complete. Only a small section of the shattered pieces could be seen. A perfect Vale night.

Something moved.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the darkness. She had seen something move on the rooftop of the buildings opposite and she knew it wasn't a bird. It had moved more like a person than an animal. It landed like a human and headed off.

Why did they have to pick tonight? So unfair.

 _Whoever that is, they are up to no good. Not on my watch._

Ruby stopped moving when a very different thought hit her.

What if it was Cinder?

Ruby bit her lip. What if it _was_ Cinder? She wouldn't stand a chance even with Crescent Rose. On the other hand, knowing what Cinder wanted to do, letting her sneak around wasn't a good idea. It could end in disaster. An icy fist clenched her heart.

What to do? She only had a few seconds to decide.

 _Maybe if she realises she being followed, she'll see her mission as a bust?_

Ruby couldn't stand by and do nothing. Something terrible might happen. Getting herself…killed wouldn't help either. But if Cinder was trying to sneak around, wouldn't escape be her first thought rather than attack? She wouldn't see Ruby as a threat.

That sentence went both ways. Cinder could dismiss her. Cinder could kill her.

 _If it saves Remnant, it's worth the risk._

Ruby stepped out of her heels and threw them on a nearby bench. She dashed out of sight of the ballroom and called for Crescent Rose. After the locker had landed, she sent a message on the group chat.

After all, if Cinder didn't kill her for this, her Emery certainly would.

Grabbing her faithful weapon, she dashed off in pursuit, trying to think of a way to stay safe and screw up whatever Cinder Fall had planned. Hopefully, she was overreacting to someone else who was up to no good.

* * *

Mercury wasn't worried when Ruby stepped out for a while. He was feeling the heat himself, but being alone invited people to talk to him and he didn't want to talk to them. He really hated socialising. That meant he was staying inside no matter how hot it got.

Emerald was giving him much incentive to stay on the dancefloor. When Ruby left, she rescued him from the punchbowl (which had been a really bad decision for a rest) and claimed his next dance. He certainly wasn't complaining.

It did look like Emerald was getting a little tired though. She was happy to use him as a resting post as the two swayed to the music. It didn't qualify as dancing, but it was good enough. Personally, he quite liked it. He could feel Emerald was very relaxed and, more importantly, happy.

The night was actually quite good. If it wasn't for his Gems, he wouldn't have bothered coming. But they had made it special.

Emerald nuzzled his chest and focused on his aura to read him. He let her. When she hummed in content, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. She hummed in joy. He let out a low chuckle.

A few moments later, Mercury felt his scroll buzz in his pocket. He was very tempted to ignore it, but he had noticed Ruby had moved around the outside of the building a little as he couldn't see her inside. Maybe she had decided to go back to the dorm for some reason. The long way round apparently, seeing as she was going the wrong way.

Ruby: Seen someone sneaking around. Might be Cinder. I'll be careful. Backup?

 _She didn't…_

Surely Ruby would not be idiotic enough to chase after someone that might be Cinder.

 _Dammit!_

Emerald raised her head, sensing his mood instantly change. "What is it?"

"Ruby's gone off to follow someone that may or may not be Cinder."

Her heart skipped a beat.

Together, the two slipped around the other couples and ran straight outside. Following Ruby's original movements, they came across her locker that was already open. Her heels were on their side on a nearby bench.

 _You could have waited Ruby._

Logically, Mercury knew she couldn't have if she wanted to keep the person in sight but still. He really hoped it hadn't been Cinder she had seen. Or even worse: Ginger. He would take Cinder over Ginger.

Two thuds grabbed his attention. Both grabbed their weapons, but Mercury gave a wave.

"Get going. I'll catch up." He was faster than Emerald; he would catch up to her probably before they caught up to Ruby. He knelt down to change his shoes. He wasn't convinced the three could take down Cinder, but they could at least screw up whatever was planned.

Emerald nodded and took off.

Why did they have to pick tonight? They could have had the decency to wait until tomorrow.

Despite the concern and anger, there was a good part of Mercury that was greatly amused. He was complaining about fighting and wanted to swap it for dancing. _Ballroom dancing_. And he didn't see anything wrong with that, as long as the dancing stayed with his Gems.

Somehow, Mercury didn't think there was anything wrong with him, despite all evidence to the contrary.

* * *

Yang had been in box on the second floor. She had been having a great time, but she wanted to make sure everyone else still was as well. A few people had left, including Pyrrha, but the overall reception was still very positive and happy.

For quite a while, she had been watching her sister. Ruby had happily spoke with her friends and the occasional stranger, but nearly all of the night had been spent with her Emery. Save Jaune calling Mercury away and ten minutes when the group had mingled separately with others, they hadn't been apart.

Yang had honestly been surprised when Mercury took her up on those dancing lessons, but he was determined to make the night a memorable one. They had had some good laughs and not just over the fact a break-dancer couldn't do ballroom.

It was very obvious. Ruby was almost glowing. She was loving every minute of this. Her Emery looked like they were greatly enjoying themselves as well.

 ** _"You're her big sister Yang. No one can change that. We might not want it Yang, but Ruby's growing up. That's life. She'll always need you, even when you're both retired due to old age."_**

Yang smiled. What Dad would say if he could see them now.

The slow music continued, gently winding down the mood from excited to relaxed. Despite the obvious beat, Neptune was making a fool of himself and his teammates were making no attempt to stop him. Melody was dancing with Sawyer and Blake was enjoying Violet's company. Jaune and Ren were talking as Nora showed Weiss some moves that would put the Robot and the Worm to shame.

Maybe Nora should teach Neptune.

With a chuckle, Yang's eyes drifted back to Emerald and Mercury.

Who had vanished.

Yang's eyes scanned the ballroom, but she couldn't see them. Odd. She had seen Ruby leave a few minutes earlier (after kissing Emerald), so maybe the three had had enough and gone back. If she was honest, they had lasted longer than Yang thought they would.

Her fingers dropped into her pocket. She hadn't noticed her scroll vibrate, but she hadn't been paying attention.

Then Yang read the message Ruby had sent.

 _What were you thinking Ruby? This isn't a job for us!_

The possibility it may _not_ be Cinder didn't even cross Yang's mind. The only thing that did was the memory of finding a tortured Mercury dumped off the side of a road, more dead than alive. Now Ruby had gone after the same person who had _encouraged_ that.

 _If those two don't put a leash on her, I will._

"Yang?"

Yang had managed to get just outside the door before she heard Zephyr's call.

"Not now; I've got to go!"

"Yang!"

Three lockers had crashed just out of sight and were already open. So the pair had already left. They knew Cinder better than anyone. Ruby should be alright. She should be alright.

"Yang, what's the rush? What's going on?"

"Not now!"

Then she realised something. She had no idea which direction they had gone. Emerald and Mercury must have followed the Animin bond, but Yang had _no idea which way to go_.

"Yang, what's happened?"

Yang snarled. "Ruby spotted someone in the shadows and gave chase. She called for backup and I have no idea where they went."

Zephyr blinked, then shook his head. "What's the problem? Probably just a common thief."

"No it's not! This is important Zephyr!""

He immediately raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Let's think about this. There are only two places that are important and fairly close by."

Yes, Cinder was here for a reason. "The CCTS tower and the Police Department Headquarters."

"Exactly. So if we split up, one of us will definitely get there. I'll take the tower and you take the Headquarters."

Uncle Qrow had said the police wouldn't be much help against Cinder, but it was a better plan than nothing. Cinder had probably headed there for some sort of sabotage. Headquarters was also closer.

Yang calmed down. She would need that anger later. "Thanks and be careful. You might be in for a very rough fight."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's go. We've wasted too much time already."

 _Hang on guys. I'm coming._

* * *

Ruby had followed the person further into the city. She was fairly certain that they hadn't gone too far, but Ruby was going cautiously. Holding Crescent Rose in a defensive stance, she walked forward slowly. She had heard something rattle in an alley nearby, but there hadn't been anything when she checked.

It didn't look like this shadow was still running. They were nearby.

Whoever it was, they were fully grown. When Ruby had been trying to figure out a strategy, Mercury's warning returned to her. He had shown her an image of Ginger through aura reading and Ruby could say with certainty it wasn't her. This shadow was too tall. If it had been Ginger, Ruby would have retreated like she promised. Someone Mercury was cautious of was to be avoided at all costs, especially after what she had helped do to him.

Still, if there was anyone Ruby wanted revenge on, it would be Ginger.

 _Now!_

Ruby spun Crescent Rose in a circle to act as a shield. The glass shards were shattered. She rolled to the side, using her scythe as a counterweight to spin afterwards. The three arrows shot past.

Cinder used two swords along with a bow and arrows. Her black clothing lit up like it did the night of Torchwick's Dust robbery.

Ruby was very glad she called for backup. Her Emery had a chance of winning. She and Yang would give her a tough fight.

Dash, hit and run. Dodge, jab and back up.

Emery rule one: fights for survival don't have rules. There is no such thing as a cheap shot.

Crescent Rose's clip was slowly depleting. Cinder wasn't letting her stay in one place for very long. She wasn't using fire though. What else could the Spring Maiden do? There was fire, Emerald thought maybe lightning as she had often gotten a shock off non-conductive objects, healing wouldn't help here-

Ruby's instincts told her to duck, so she ducked. An arrow hit the ground just behind her. She dashed away; Cinder's arrows could explode. That one did, but didn't do any damage to her.

The worst part was that, save when her clothing lit up, Cinder was nigh on impossible to see. Ruby had hoped one of the flames had hit something flammable, but it hadn't. She was fighting someone she couldn't target.

Ruby's way of getting around that was to never stop moving. If she couldn't see Cinder because of the dark, then Cinder couldn't see her because she was too fast. It wasn't a perfect solution as she didn't want to get too close, but she did get a few hits in.

There was a small reaction, but very little. Cinder seemed amused.

Ruby's aura was getting low.

Cinder broke the stalemate. A continuous flame charged at Ruby and wrapped around the area. While Ruby could avoid the direct fire, the heat was quickly draining her energy. She was running out of room and it didn't matter that she could now see Cinder.

As she narrowly avoided another fire stream, Ruby had an idea. Was Cinder immune to fire in general, immune from fire she created or was just more resistant than most people? While Mercury would have stuck his arm in a fireplace to test that theory if it applied to him, Emerald wasn't that crazy.

Surely there was something flammable around here?

Ruby heard familiar shots behind her. Mercury had caught up and was blasting at something. She didn't see any of his rounds though. She couldn't afford to see what he was doing. She just knew he was doing something that would help her.

Cinder's attention went from Ruby to Mercury. Her next four arrows were fired at him, but they were shot out of the air before they went anywhere near him or Ruby. Emerald was on the roof to the side, but was remaining up there. It was the most strategic place for her. Cinder probably didn't know exactly where.

Then Ruby heard Emerald's voice, as if she was standing right next to her. "Join me Ruby. Fast as you can." There was no way Emerald had said that, but maybe she made Ruby hallucinate it.

A plan was a plan.

It only took a few seconds to get up there. Cinder hadn't noticed, though as she was still looking in Ruby's original area, maybe Emerald was making sure she didn't notice.

Mercury had made a cyclone with his wind Dust rounds. The final one hit the others and sparked a chain reaction to rush the others straight at Cinder. The fire was caught up in the momentum and while it got weaker, it also joined.

One explosion triggered another. There must have been something flammable by Cinder. The flames flashed halfway up the building for a few seconds, blinding their view.

When they died down, Cinder was gone.

Perhaps alerted by the noise of the battle, General Ironwood and Yang showed up, though Ruby wasn't exactly sure when. Right now, she didn't care.

Exhausted, Ruby hugged Emerald close. She didn't care whether or not Cinder had done what she wanted to do. She just could not stop shaking. She vaguely remembered this feeling before and hadn't felt it in a long while.

Emerald had wrapped her arms around her and was rubbing her back. "It's the adrenaline Ruby. Deep breaths."

Adrenaline. Yes, that was the feeling. It was a feeling Ruby was used to, but somehow this was different. Very different.

 _We survived a fight with Cinder Fall._

That felt like an incredible accomplishment.

Mercury's warmth joined them. He gently massaged Ruby's shoulders. She had tensed up, waiting for the scolding she was expecting. She hadn't run after all, despite knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

"Nice job Ruby. Deep breaths. We'll talk in the morning."

They weren't angry with her. Emery weren't angry with her. Ruby let out a long breath at that as her chest stopped hammering. It was much easier to breathe. Cinder hadn't hurt any of them and her Emery weren't angry at her.

"You good?" Mercury asked.

Another breath. "I'm good."

"Good."

In one fluid motion, Ruby found herself cradled in Mercury's arms. That small movement from Emerald had been a nod. Emerald's hand now rested on Ruby's cheek. She smiled and nuzzled into it.

Emerald then gave her a short kiss on the lips. "Ready to go back to the dorm?"

"Mm-hm."

The entire night had been exhausting. Right now, Ruby wanted her Emery and she wanted sleep.


	19. Present and Future Discussions

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

Mercury wasn't the only one awake at dawn. All four had gone through their normal morning routines, but the morning had been quiet. Ruby and Yang were in a very good mood, but Emerald and Mercury were a little more sombre.

Maybe sensing their mood, Ruby made her happy smile slowly disappear. "Are you angry at me? I mean…I didn't run like you told me to."

Emerald smiled back. "No. You handled yourself very well. Like you said, you weren't sure it was Cinder before you followed and was careful in case it was. We're not angry."

"Cinder still ruined a very good night," Yang scowled. "What do you think she was up to? The only important thing in the area is the Police Headquarters."

"I don't know."

"Ah well. She retreated. That's a win for us."

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered. "So, who do you think was better? HION or SSSN?"

"Definitely HION. Neptune really messed up their rhythm."

"I liked his dancing the most."

Mercury was lying down, thinking. The more he thought about Cinder's actions last night, the more he thought that he was missing something. She had attacked him sure, but it wasn't really aggressive. She fires a few arrows at him and attacks Ruby with Maiden power? Very strange. She _let_ them chase her off. Cinder could have fought and almost certainly won if she wanted to.

The fact she was even spotted in the first place was odd. It was almost pitch black outside and she was dressed for it. If she hadn't moved, then no one would have seen her. From where Ruby said she saw her, Cinder would have had a good view of the ballroom and there was plenty of time when there was no one outside. Yet she happened to get spotted by one of the less than handful of people that probably knew about her? Had she been waiting for someone she knew would recognise her or waiting for Ruby herself?

That was the question he kept coming back to.

As far as Cinder was possibly aware, Ruby was a girl who had been skipped ahead two years to be in the same classes as her sister. Otherwise, there was nothing special about her. Ruby in particular was almost certainly not the target, but a convenience.

Most likely, the plan to infiltrate the school as exchange students hadn't changed. Cinder just hadn't posed as a student herself. Mercury had been assessing those students, but nothing stuck out to him yet. They would be doing a lot to stay under the radar, especially as they were in the suspected group. LGHG were getting cosy with HION and they were gossips, but they were also teenage girls after a fling.

Mercury knew very little about the behaviour of normal teenagers.

There were moles in the school. That was a fact. The issue would be how to identify them and a lot of students didn't come to the dance at all, local and not. There was still his original theory that the mole had been in the school since the beginning of the year. His first thought had been Melody as she was a last minute addition. He was fairly sure it wasn't her though. There had been almost three months between attacking the Fall Maiden and the start of Beacon; it was unlikely to be a last minute addition.

There were too many suspects.

The Vale Police Headquarters. That had been three streets away. Why? It probably wasn't a coincidence. With Cinder, there was always a reason. Had she done something there that she wanted them to know about?

One word was cycling in Mercury's head and without any information to counter it, it would not leave. There were too many maybes, but that one word was a good explanation.

A poke to his side brought his attention back to the room. If it was anyone else but the two sitting next to him, he would have bruised their wrists. As it was, he settled for a glare at Ruby.

"You're thinking and somehow, I don't think I would like what you're thinking."

Mercury chuckled. "No, you wouldn't."

Ruby did logically know there was a false friend somewhere. She just refused to think about who it was. It wasn't in her nature to be suspicious, even when she knew she should be. She was going to get hurt one day.

"Then you can explain it to Professor Ozpin when we go."

"Why am I going? Ironwood invited you, not me."

Yang had been on her way to the Police Headquarters as that had been one of the most significant things in the area. She had bumped into Ironwood on the way and explained that Ruby had gone after a shifty figure. Both had arrived to provide aid. The men stationed outside and inside the CCTS tower had reported nothing suspicious when Zephyr asked about said shifty figure. According to them, it had been a slow (boring) night.

"Well, yeah. But you and Emerald know Cinder the best. Whatever theories I'm going to hate hearing, Professor Ozpin needs to know. So you're coming too."

 _A valid and good point._

A sigh escaped him.

After Ironwood's reaction to them last night, Mercury was very sure that he didn't know they were the source of info. He thought they were nothing more than students. Mercury was hoping to keep the fool under those delusions. Ironwood was worryingly trigger happy.

No chance of that now.

Still, he wasn't going to be dealing with the fallout. If Ozpin and Qrow hadn't told him where they had gotten their info, that wasn't his problem. If they had kept quiet about that to protect him, then they would continue to do so even after briefing the General. Ironwood had no authority over him.

Maybe…Maybe Mercury…expected Qrow to protect him. That was the only reason he could think of for feeling the way he did.

Qrow had taken them in because he had to; there was no doubt of that. It was what happened after. He could have ignored Ruby and gotten rid of them when the bond settled. Instead, he went out of his way to keep them comfortable and happy. Emerald had taken to it like a duck to water, but Mercury hadn't. Aside from his Gems, he had tried to avoid as much interaction as he could. At first.

Stupid, annoying mutt.

Even from the beginning, Qrow kept an eye on him and talked to him in a way he didn't really speak to his nieces, even a little differently than Emerald. Their first honest talk had been the morning after they arrived at Patch. Back then, Mercury had thought Qrow was just chatter.

It only occurred to him a few days before they left for Beacon that Qrow was genuinely trying to understand him. By then, Mercury was okay around him and he didn't know why. That was most annoying of all.

If Qrow got a lot of information and favours from Ozpin (and without a doubt he did), then that should go two ways. Maybe Ozpin had let Ruby's Emery in due to Qrow. If so, then he should be fine.

Either way, not even trigger happy Ironwood was going to get rid of them now. They were too valuable, for information and for warriors. If the fool knew about Maidens, then he certainly wouldn't complain about Emerald. As for Mercury, how many Aura Wielders were there in Remnant right now? He may or may not be the only one, but he was loyal to his Gems and Ruby wanted to protect Remnant.

They had different goals that had the same result.

Politics never was his thing.

With a content sigh, Emerald stretched and lay down next to him. With a disarming smile, she went to poke him. He caught her wrist, giving her a smirk of his own. He brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles. Normally his Gems were the ones who initiated the contact, but Mercury was in an affectionate mood.

Emerald's eyes sparkled back at him.

* * *

Ruby hummed a happy little tune on their way to Headmaster Ozpin's office. Mercury's finger was tapping his pocket in sync. To her disappointment, there wasn't a chime every time the elevator stopped. There wasn't any music in there either.

Emery weren't angry with her. The professors might be angry that she didn't contact them for help. She was very out of her league last night, despite how well she seemed to manage.

"Come in."

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch didn't seem surprised to see Mercury. General Ironwood frowned at him, almost scowled. In response, Ruby's features slipped into a frown as well. She slid her hand into Mercury's, who ran a thumb over her knuckles. He wasn't worried.

"Ruby, Mercury. Thank you for coming. I trust you're well rested after last night's excitement?"

"Yes sir." In reality, they had only gotten a few hours' sleep, but none of them were tired.

The General's expression softened. He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, your actions last night were the actions of a Huntress. You recognised a threat, planned accordingly and performed incredibly. You should be proud."

Ruby felt a bubble of pride in her chest. "Thank you, sir."

[Like a true Huntress would have Ruby.] Mercury agreed with the General on that.

Professor Ozpin was standing behind his desk. "Now, the General has told us of the events that transpired last night. First Mercury, I would like to confirm whether or not that was Cinder Fall."

"It was. Without a doubt."

"Very well. Now Ruby, is there anything that happened that may help us?"

Ruby replayed the event in her mind for the hundredth time. She shook her head. "No. I saw her on the rooftops a little way from the ballroom. She led me there before attacking. She never said anything."

"And she took you on a direct path from the ballroom to where the General found you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did you see anyone else with her?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

"No, professor. I mean, if there was, I didn't see them."

"Where did she initially attack from?" That was the General. "The north, the south…?"

"Umm…" Ruby had no idea. [Mercury, from where you were when you arrived, is the Police Headquarters north or south?]

[North east.]

[Thank you.] "The north east."

Professor Ozpin nodded. It wasn't surprising he expected that answer. "The current reports from the Police Headquarters state that there is nothing amiss. This question is to you Mercury. Do you have any theories on why she would go there?"

Mercury was quiet for a few moments. It wasn't that he was avoiding the question, but trying to think of an answer. "She's interested in two things: information and potential. She would find both there if she had the time to look for it."

Information and potential.

"And do you believe she had the time to look for it?"

"…Yes. Or her objective wasn't there at all."

Mercury certainly had everyone's attention then.

"Elaborate," General Ironwood ordered. His eyes had narrowed.

[This is the part I'm not going to like isn't it?]

[Not yet.] "Plenty of students went outside for a few minutes. Quite a few didn't show up. If Cinder hadn't moved, Ruby wouldn't have seen her and from where Ruby saw her, she could see the ballroom perfectly."

Professor Ozpin tapped a finger on his cane. "You think she wished to be seen?"

"Yes. A lot of students might dismiss a shadow for…a trick of the light or something like that. Not worth looking into. Not Ruby. Ruby knows what Cinder looks like. Cinder also wasn't surprised to see me."

"She would know you are a student."

[This is the part you're not going to like, Ruby.] "Because someone told her. That same someone probably told her us and Ruby are close and Ruby's seen her before. She would know who she was fighting and call for backup. Whenever I think of Cinder's actions last night, I think one word: distraction."

 _Distraction? A distraction for what?_

Ruby frowned a little as she thought. When the exchange students started to arrive, Emerald had brought up again the possibility that someone was working alongside Cinder. That had been the initial plan after all. Ruby had spoken to the majority of them and hoped they were wrong; that everyone was sincere.

A sadness nudged her heart. Logically, she knew it wasn't true.

"That is possible," Professor Ozpin agreed. "Although that does open up many more questions."

[Sorry Ruby, but that's reality.]

[No. I understand.] That did not mean she had to like it though. She couldn't even guess at who was an accomplice, but she had seen Emerald's acting skills for herself. Whoever was working with Cinder would be just as good.

Ruby hated it.

"I can't help you there," Mercury responded to the headmaster. "She could have gone to Police Headquarters before being seen by Ruby or might have been interested in somewhere else altogether. We were supposed to learn the details later and obviously, never did."

"You said the original plan was to pose as exchange students. Do you think that has changed?"

"…I'm sure they're posing as students." Mercury did not say that they were exchange students and the adults noticed that. "At the time we were working for her, I don't think she had finalised her plan yet. She tends to adapt to problems and pretty quickly too."

Ruby thought about that. Cinder finding Emerald had been a coincidence, even if she had heard about an incredible thief on the street. She had gone to find Marcus Black and it wasn't until they got to the closest town (still miles away) that she even learned he had a son.

Cinder had lost Emerald and Mercury after failing to take down Miss Amber. It hadn't stopped her. In fact, it hadn't taken her long to change her plan and she had succeeded at attacking the Spring Maiden two months later. She was still interested in Beacon; still determined to cause destruction.

Her Emery didn't like to talk about Cinder. The more Ruby learned about her, the more afraid she became.

That wouldn't stop Ruby though.

Then she a thought and looked at Mercury. "Is Cinder's Semblance fire?"

"Hmm? Don't think so. To be honest I don't know. Why?"

"Well, her eyes didn't light up last night. Not green, not…anything. It was her clothes that lit up and Yang used to glow when her Semblance triggered." Back when she first began using it.

Mercury seemed to realise what she meant. He used to glow as well when he summoned his fox, though not anymore. "It wasn't her whole body though. Just certain parts of her clothing."

Ruby remembered that night outside the shop. It had only been certain parts: the top of her dress and the sleeves.

"That has a simple answer, Ruby." Both teens looked at the General. "Weaving Dust into clothing is a technique used by a lot of different people throughout history."

"Cinder probably knows a lot of those tricks," Mercury agreed. [Now I think about it Ruby, the Fall Maiden's eyes didn't always glow. For the big stuff they did, but not for minor things. How often do you see Emerald's eyes glow when she's practising?]

[Now you mention it…] The only time she remembered seeing her eyes glow was the night she first inherited it and trying to heal Mercury when they first found him off the side of the road. They had never known if she had managed to heal anything. [Should I mention the White Fang in the southeast?]

[Hmm…Up to you. Probably best to, especially if we want to investigate it ourselves.]

That had been the initial idea and they now knew how to do it. Just like Emerald conveniently going camping in the same area as Ruby during her three day trip at Signal to settle the Animin bond, they had thought to use their mission to investigate the southeast for the White Fang.

"Umm, actually…I heard her say something about a hideout in the southeast."

[That was bad. You're caught in a lie now.]

What was he…? Oh. Oops.

"I thought you said-"

"Thank you two for your time." Professor Ozpin interrupted professor Goodwitch's question. They all knew what it was going to be, but he didn't seem to mind not hearing the true answer. He was smiling. Ruby was relieved at that. "Why don't you return to your team? I'm sure they're missing you."

"Anytime professor." Ruby and Mercury turned to head back to the lift.

"And students…" They glanced back. "Do try and be discreet about this matter."

"Yes, sir." Save for Yang and Emerald, the only one they intended to tell was Blake and only that they were going to the southeast for their mission. They had promised after all.

* * *

Five seconds after the doors slid shut, General Ironwood turned back to Headmaster Ozpin.

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes. Both of them have much to lose if Cinder succeeds. Emerald in particular can't go back to her."

"They attacked a Maiden."

"And have been in the same room with that very Maiden since with no violence or even ill words exchanged. Regardless of whether you trust him, his information wasn't a lie."

"It was speculation."

"Of topics we hadn't considered," Professor Goodwitch agreed. "Still, it won't be easy finding which students are not students. There are usually at least two teams that sneak their way into the tournament each time, so they are difficult to check." Before, there had never been a big problem with teenagers turning up claiming to be from schools when they weren't for a variety of reasons (normally money related). They often got to the finals and were offered a scholarship by that school.

"It is also possible one of our students is compromised," Headmaster Ozpin added. "We cannot rule it out. Cinder's connections go beyond Vale, so it is possible the other schools were infiltrated. Even Atlas."

General Ironwood sighed. "I will conduct background checks, but I know of a handful of my students in which that won't be helpful."

"We might not find the culprits, but we may rule out some that are not."

"And this hideout in the southeast? It is very clear that they know more. That alone is enough to distrust those two."

"Perhaps. However, they told Ruby of it and I do not think they are the only ones who know of it. They are merely the ones who told us."

"Then we will handle it. I'll send many troops to the southeast and investigate the area. It could be a trap."

"For goodness sake James-"

"Glynda." The Headmaster was quiet for a moment. "I understand your concerns James, but we cannot justify sending so many troops to the southeast without gaining the public's attention. For now, that is something we need to avoid. Rather than send an army in immediately, it would be wise to send scouts to ensure there isn't a trap."

"And who will be the scout?" General Ironwood asked. "Qrow?"

"I do have a Huntsman in mind, but it is not Qrow. He is currently in Mistral investigating one of Cinder's known accomplices."

"…Very well. I take my leave." With those words, General Ironwood headed back down in the lift.

"Ozpin? Are you sure this is wise?"

"Two of them are Huntresses in training. The other two are not. Given that they were raised by Qrow and Taiyang, no matter how briefly, we will find them there regardless." Ozpin sighed. "If it were any other team, I would have more doubts."

"James isn't going to happy about this."

"I know. However, I'm sure our Huntsman will keep them in line."

* * *

"We really need to make you a better liar Ruby."

Mercury chuckled at the faces the sisters pulled at Emerald's statement. "She's got a point Ruby. You could have just said that Yang overheard Torchwick talking about it at the docks. How would they know?"

Ruby frown turned to a pout. "Okay, next time Mercury, you can give the excuses."

"With pleasure."

"I think Professor Ozpin already knew though."

"It's possible he might have noticed my fox leaving the school occasionally. He must know it can be possessed completely."

"Why would he think that?" Yang asked. "History books?"

"No. Common sense. It's flying all around the school buildings, completely out of my view, and yet never hits a wall."

Emerald tilted her head and nodded. "Also a good point."

Yang's sniggering made it obvious she could easily see the fox crashing into walls. Mercury refrained from rolling his eyes and held his tongue. He had promised to keep the meeting between the bedpost and aura bird Ruby a secret from her sister. At the time, even Ruby had laughed. Oddly enough, while he felt a small knock against his aura, it hadn't been painful. It had been for Ruby, like it had been for him when he knocked the robot off the highway.

Ruby gave him a discreet (for her) glance. Mercury shrugged and smiled at her. She smiled back.

Yang cleared her throat. "Now that the less important stuff is out of the way…" She got up, stretched and walked over to the desk in the corner. "Dad sent us something."

That certainly got their attention.

"What's that?" Ruby asked, bouncing on the bed.

"We don't know yet. We were waiting for you to get back."

"Well, hurry up! Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"

Ruby would turn the bed into a trampoline if she kept this up. Just as well it wasn't a bunk bed anymore or she would have one hell of a headache. Mercury would admit he was curious as well, but not that curious.

 _A tube?_

A cylinder dropped out. A moving cylinder.

 _He didn't…_

Pop!

 _He did._

"Zwei!"

Taiyang had sent them the damn mutt.

 _Are dogs even allowed at Beacon?_

For the moment, Zwei was perfectly happy to lavish the sisters with affection. Emerald was giving him a very innocent smile. He glared back, seeing her chuckle to herself. While her lips didn't move, he heard her voice.

"I know you missed him Merc."

Mercury folded his arms. He had not missed that dog. Emerald's laughing wasn't helping either. "Is there a note?" How long was he going to be here?

Yang grinned at his reaction and reached into the tube. There was a note.

'Dear kids. I'm going on a mission, so I'm sending Zwei for you to look after. I've sent all the food he'll need. Love Taiyang.'

 _So an uncertain amount of time then. Brilliant._

"I take it he doesn't realise that we're going off on a mission as well?"

A tin opener. Mercury should have expected that.

"Eh, he'll be here when we get back."

Zwei barked. He wriggled out of Ruby's grip and jumped onto the bed. He immediately went to Emerald, who gave him a scratch behind the ears. Then he went to Mercury and jumped on his chest.

"Okay, that's not happening."

The tailed wagged, but Zwei did jump off on his own. He trotted back to Yang as if he had just been given a thousand treats.

 _Annoying dog._

Naturally, when they entered the auditorium and Ruby was carrying a very bulging bag, he was quite suspicious. He waited as she put it down. It moved a little.

"Ruby, please don't tell me there's a dog in your bag."

"Okay." Ruby took his hand and led him over to where Yang and Emerald were waiting.

Emerald looked at him, looked at Ruby's bag and looked at him again with a raised eyebrow. Mercury just shrugged. Despite his annoyance at Ruby's actions, he did agree that they couldn't leave Zwei here. That was just begging for trouble.

That and he liked Ruby's answer a lot.

Mercury didn't really pay attention to Ozpin's speech. He did find the idea of Marcus supporting creativity incredibly amusing. He had certainly had imagination, though probably didn't apply it in a way most people would approve. Mercury certainly hadn't.

Before he knew it, the crowd began to scatter to different screens.

"Okay, so we know where we're going. But what are we doing?" Emerald asked. It was a fair question.

"For the record, 'Search and Rescue' is not a job I would appreciate," Mercury answered. He was not playing bodyguard to a bunch of idiot civilians and they couldn't look for enemy activity if they were chasing around panicking morons.

"I don't think that would be very helpful, no." Emerald got it, at least.

"'Search and Destroy' it is," Ruby agreed.

"Err…Here we go," Yang was already over there. The trio quickly joined her. "Quadrant 5 needs some pest control."

"Sounds good," Emerald nodded.

Apparently not. It wasn't available for first years. Brilliant. Ozpin was happy to launch students off a cliff into a Grimm infested forest for initiation, but a Grimm infested area with plenty of sniping positions was a no go.

Mercury did wonder if Ruby's suggestion for mailing themselves was inspired by Taiyang. It wouldn't work but… "I called dibs on first class."

"I'm afraid the school would not pay that bill." Ozpin hadn't left. He approached and stood in front of them to look them each in the eye. "It was determined that the Grimm occupancy was too high for first year students. However, it has also been noted you four will go there no matter which job you choose."

Looks like Ruby telling him about the southeast in the first place had gotten results. Given that not all of the team were really first year students, it may be good news. While Yang glared at Ruby, who rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, Emerald and Mercury met Ozpin's gaze. They weren't going to back down.

"So how about this? Rather than waiting for you to break the rules and pay for postage and packaging, how about we just bend them?"

That was more like it.

Ruby's smile was a proud, yet honoured one. "We won't let you down. Thank you sir."

"This is not an assignment you should thank me for. Outside the Kingdom walls, we cannot guarantee your safety and the danger you are in is very great. Stay close to your Huntsman and each other. One mistake is all it takes and these enemies do not follow the rules of combat. Be cautious and trust your instincts. Good luck."

Those words would not have been out of place if it were only Grimm they would be fighting. They knew better. Grimm were a known threat. The exact operation they were looking for was not.

This should be fun.

* * *

Mountain Glenn.

Emerald was and wasn't looking forward to this. On one hand, she could relax and actually fight properly, as well as not be surrounded by people. On the other hand, she was walking right into the enemy's territory with no idea what she was going to find.

Stupidity at its finest.

"Ladies and gentleman, you may be students but as of this moment your first official mission as Huntresses and Huntsman has begun."

Oh well. This should be fun.

"Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."

"But you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

Mercury snorted as Emerald chuckled. Even Oobleck admitted Ruby wasn't wrong. Emerald liked that side of her; the side that was a little more daring. Ruby had an innocence that seemed odd for a Huntress, despite that desire to protect being something that was wanted. That did not stop her from being mischievous.

In this case, much to Mercury's chagrin.

Emerald wasn't entirely sure why he hated that dog so much. Maybe it was because Zwei had seemed determined to get Mercury to be with the rest of the family when they were in Patch, especially at the beginning when he tried to avoid them all? If Mercury was on his own, Zwei would do some very amusing things to annoy him, including hiding some of the parts he was using to create his boots in various places such as with Yang's hair care products and under the TV. Once while everyone else was watching it.

Okay, maybe Emerald could see why Mercury hated that dog so much.

 _Genius?_

Not the word Emerald would have used. Ruby was intelligent, but she didn't have any tracking ideas in mind when she brought Zwei along. It had probably been along the lines of 'I can't leave my dog here alone for a week'. It honestly hadn't occurred to Emerald that Zwei might actually be useful.

 _Then again, Zwei did manage to track Ruby's scent that day. He does know Ruby's scent very well though._

"Speaking of tracking," Mercury interrupted. "What are we doing about that Beowulf?"

"What?" Yang muttered as she turned around. Emerald slowly drew her weapons. It didn't look like it had seen them yet. It was slowly getting closer though, not looking at them. One step. Another step. Two steps.

Then it looked up and stared straight at them.

"It's seen us," Yang commented.

"So has the rest of its pack," Mercury added.

They growled.

"I take it tracking is out of the question?" Ruby sounded almost afraid of being rebuffed. Why did that sound like an actual question rather than a fact?

"An accurate assumption, yes."

"So can we revert to the old standby?" Mercury asked more cheerfully.

"That would be for the best, yes."

"Great."

That was the beginning of their very long day. It seemed that no matter how many Grimm they killed, there were three packs more to take their place. It was remarkably annoying. There were Grimm of all sorts of ages and size around, but nothing bigger than an Ursa. These were the tamer Grimm. Maybe that's why this was a possible mission for second years originally.

Yang and Ruby at least were learning an important life lesson. While they were both capable fighters, they had never had to deal with a marathon of enemies before, no matter how weak. After a few hours, it was clear they were getting tired.

A lifetime of a more extreme fitness regime gave Mercury and Emerald an advantage there; Mercury more so when his prosthetics were taken into account. After another two hours, he took pity on Ruby and transferred some of his aura to her. She was now using her Semblance a lot more sparingly.

Qrow had taught them that aura transfer was an inefficient process at first. They had noticed that when Mercury had given them aura a few times. However, maybe it was due to their constant practice in those aura animals, but there was only a little aura lost over the transfer now. If 20 was offered, about 18 was gained.

"I'm curious Emerald…"

Emerald took note of Oobleck behind her, but she ignored him for the most part. She could hear something around the corner. At least two Beowolves and one Ursa. It turned out to be three Beowolves and two Ursa.

"What do you intend to do when you graduate Beacon?"

 _What?_

"Don't know." As the Vytal Festival drew closer, Emerald had been less concerned with four years in the future and more concerned with surviving her first year. She had decided to revisit the topic later.

"No thoughts at all?"

"Well, I don't intend to work in a bookshop." There were some aspects of a Huntress' life that were appealing; the travelling and, in a way, the respect. The main problem was that Emerald was not a protector, unless their names happened to be Ruby Rose or Mercury Black. "Maybe see the world."

"Hmm."

It was an hour before dusk when Oobleck decided to quiz Mercury. He had spent most of the time a fair distance from the main group, searching out the stragglers of the packs the girls tore apart. He didn't seem to be enjoying himself very much, but then these weren't tough opponents by any stretch of the imagination.

Mercury also had to chase them. Apparently his hate and anger wasn't enough to draw them into attack. He often caught their attention, but not their aggression. He was pretty miffed at that.

Oobleck caught up to him after he threw four Beowolves out of one of the taller buildings.

"And what about you Mercury? Any thoughts on what you want to do with your life?"

"Not many. Probably the more dirty and bloody jobs that are necessary that the public like to pretend the Huntsmen and Huntresses don't do."

In other words, an assassin aiming for Remnant's peace rather than its destruction. Those were necessary, especially in the guerrilla warfare that occurred daily. The jobs that Ruby could not do, no matter how essential.

"…Interesting."

Emerald would have to think more on that.

Grimm after Grimm. 'A heightened form of extermination' Oobleck called it and that probably was the best way to put it. While it had been fun at first, the entertainment value was practically gone. Now it was just a tedious and repetitive task. Mercury was getting the most excitement and he was playing hide and seek.

There was no sign of the White Fang though.

Yang had been the first to be interrogated and had been in an odd mood ever since.

Ruby had found a chicken from somewhere and was taunting Zwei with it. Emerald had expected Oobleck to ask her the same question. He didn't. He did send the other three off to make camp while he had a word with her though. Maybe their conversation was more philosophical.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything."

Mercury chuckled. "A lot of our info came from pure luck in being in the right place at the right time. The southeast is nice and vague; there was a very good chance we wouldn't find anything."

"Still…"

"We've got a week. If we don't find anything tomorrow, I'll try a different scouting idea. I might not get anything there either, but hey. I'm getting bored pretty quickly."

"Yeah, the Grimm seem to like you." Yang grinned for the first time in hours. "Maybe they see you as a kindred spirit."

Mercury laughed.

Emerald leaned forward towards the pile of logs. They could try the textbook way to start a fire, but she wanted a go first. It shouldn't take much heat for the wood to catch. Her fingers merely touched one of the logs near the middle and at the bottom of the pile. She pushed that unsettled energy into her hand.

There was a crackle. A few moments later, there was light. Once the flames had reached all the wood, Emerald pulled her hand back again. There was no damage and no pain. It was just very uncomfortable.

She may not be able to defend herself with it, but at least she was gaining enough control to aid basic human needs.

Ruby in particular was very happy when she saw the fire. She then volunteered for the first watch. Yang told her to wake her next.

Mercury smiled and pulled Emerald onto his lap. She sighed in content and snuggled into him, giving him no help to sort out the sleeping bags. While Ruby had rolled hers next to theirs, they weren't going to be sleeping as a three for very long tonight. Mercury's shift was after Yang's, so Ruby would end up snuggling next to Emerald.

Ruby had moved off halfway down the broken hallway to keep a better lookout. Her sister was watching her carefully, almost studying her.

Emerald frowned and lowered her voice. "What's wrong Yang?"

"Oobleck didn't ask Ruby."

"Not that surprising when you think about it," Mercury adjusted Emerald a little so he could pull the covers up higher. "She's got the right mind-set. She just lacks experience."

"Yeah." Yang lay down. For a short while, the crackle of the fire was the only sound. "What did you mean Mercury? The jobs that the public like to pretend we don't do?"

"Exactly what you think it means. Some people are a threat Yang and they can't be locked up. They might be too powerful; they might be too connected, but for whatever reason they have to be eliminated."

"That sounds like a tyrant. You changed."

"…Not really due to choice. Don't get me wrong, I like where I am, but…Well, Qrow was originally tracking us for information before killing us. He would have done it."

"No he wouldn't."

"Not now, maybe." Emerald muttered, loud enough for Yang to hear. "But if it wasn't for Ruby…We were a huge threat to Remnant. There's no doubt about that. He would have had to." Her Semblance, their knowledge of the Maidens and their willing attack on one, Mercury coming into his power as an Aura Wielder…They were far too dangerous.

Both Emerald and Mercury knew. That Animin bond had saved them. It had given them a chance to experience a life they had no way to otherwise.

Their love for Ruby and each other made them want to fight for it with everything they had.

"Some parts of me have changed Yang," Mercury continued. "Most of me hasn't. This is who I am and I'm not a Huntsman. I can put my Gems first, but that's it. My Gems, my family, me and everything else, in that order. That's not going to change."

His Gems huh. Mercury was getting possessive. Emerald smiled into his chest.

"A dark hero. Does suit you."

Mercury snorted. "I'm no hero, Yang. In any sense of the word."

Yang didn't respond. Neither did Emerald.

If all went well, they would graduate Beacon in four years. What would happen next was a complete mystery.

* * *

 **AN: This was an interesting chapter to write as in some ways it is similar to canon and yet has important differences. Those are often my favourite chapters to write. There will be a lot fewer of those chapters now.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	20. A Taste of True War

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth**

* * *

It was Yang's watch, but her mind was mostly elsewhere.

She had wanted to be a Huntress for quite a while, but hadn't really thought about it any further. Dr Oobleck's question earlier had her second guessing herself and Mercury hadn't helped matters. When everyone had told her stories about their missions, they had made it sound like fantastic adventures. Yang had never considered it a job. For her, a job had always been stuck behind a desk and/or working 9 until 5. Certainly not a Huntress.

In hindsight, her family wouldn't have told her the more boring or the more morally questionable. She was old enough to know better by now. That wasn't to say she didn't want to help people; she had just always considered it a bonus. A sort of 'while I'm at it'.

Not like Ruby. Ruby wanted to help people to help people. Not for the adventure or the thanks. That was just a nice add on for her if she got it.

Yang glanced over at the three sleeping together. She couldn't really see Emerald in the middle and Mercury looked completely at peace as if he wasn't in the middle of Grimm territory.

Surely Uncle Qrow wouldn't have killed them? Sent to prison fair enough, but kill them? That was very extreme. Surely things like that didn't happen. Uncle Qrow wasn't a cold blooded killer. That wasn't what a Huntsman and Huntress was.

Right?

With a confused frown, she put it out of her mind. Yang needed more experience before coming back to that.

Today hadn't been a very fun day though. Well, it had started off that way, but hour after hour of finding nothing had been really annoying. Even competing with Mercury had lost its appeal after a few hours, though how he won was something she still wasn't sure about. Either he was cheating or there were a lot more Grimm in those buildings than there looked.

At least they knew the White Fang weren't in those buildings.

 _Get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can, huh?_

Yang may not have thought about what happened when she was a Huntress that much, but she knew what she wanted. While they fell in line with being a Huntress, she could have chosen not to attend Beacon and go travelling instead.

No, Yang wanted to be a Huntress. Maybe she was starting to understand the job aspect of it; to see the reality as an adult and not the fantasy of the kid.

* * *

Qrow returned to his hotel room and paced for a few minutes before taking out his scroll. He had two sets of bad news that had to be reported instantly.

 _Not delivered?_

That wasn't good. Where on Remnant was Mercury? He obviously wasn't at Beacon and Ozpin would have mentioned if something too bad had happened. A check of the date said that they were on their field trip. He tried twice more before giving up.

Well, that bad news would have to wait. It wasn't as urgent anyway.

"Oz, when was the last time the guys at LiaGuard had to sit a personality test?"

"Most likely not since they were hired. Is LiaGuard compromised?"

"Not at the moment. They're rumours, nothing definite. The problem is that the closest army is currently hanging around a school a continent away."

"I'll make some inquiries. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Qrow sighed. "Unfortunately yes. As a matter of interest, where did you send the kids on their little trip?"

"Mountain Glenn. They told us of a hideout in the southeast. I sent Bartholomew along with them."

Mountain Glenn. That would explain it. Was that good or bad news? "Mind passing this on then? I'm not getting through."

A hideout in the southeast. Where had they heard about that? It wasn't a surprise the kids were sneaking around, that was to be expected, but they had better be careful while they were doing it.

Qrow wasn't sure whether he wanted them to find something or not.

* * *

When he went to sleep, Mercury had been expecting to be woken by a shake on his shoulder or with a poke. What he wasn't expecting was a strong jerk on the back of his upturned collar.

Mercury immediately shoved the dog away with a growl of his own.

Then he saw what Zwei was trying to tell him. "Hey Yang, when'd Ruby leave?"

"What?"

Emerald had stirred at his rash movement. Hearing that snapped her fully awake instantly. Instinctively she glanced to her left; to the empty spot despite knowing she wouldn't see her.

Ruby wasn't there. She was…

The pair looked to their right, but even with half the wall gone, there was too big of an obstacle. Still, why would Ruby go wandering around outside? If she had gone out with Zwei, which seemed to have been the case, why was Zwei here and Ruby wasn't?

Mercury pushed himself up so he was sitting with his legs crossed, weight balanced perfectly. It didn't surprise him that what first appeared was Ruby's eagle. Deep breaths; calm. After a moment, the shape changed into the winged fox. The eagle was a great scout if it wasn't for the slight problem Mercury couldn't possess it.

Telling direction from the bond worked in a straight line. In the past, that had always been a huge problem. Being able to fly over the rooftops turned this normal disadvantage into a big advantage.

It didn't take long to find something. It wasn't something Mercury liked. He split his energy again, so the others could actually hear him talk even as he scanned the nearby area.

"Well that's not good. Crescent Rose is lying in the middle of the road. That road also has a new hole in the middle of it that wasn't there earlier."

"A hole?" Mercury could hear Oobleck's voice, distorted a little. "A hole…A hole…Of course! Is there a cavern underneath?"

Cavern? Mercury flew a little further down. "Yeah." Hang on. "There are buildings down there." Why were there buildings down there?

"Of course! How could I be so stupid?"

 _Not often you hear a teacher say that._

Mercury only half listened to the explanation. He would look it up later. Right now, there was something more important he needed to find out. He took the fox down further. Ruby might have fallen down at that spot, but she wasn't there now. This area still looked abandoned; no sign of human life.

 _Wait…_

There was a single White Fang member on guard, uniform and all. Not doing his duty very well, he was bored out of his mind, but he was definitely guarding another passage. Rather than look up, he was keeping his eyes low, probably searching for stray Grimm. Ruby was that way but this guard, if he even knew about her, wasn't expecting human visitors.

Sticking to the top left of the tunnel, Mercury flew past. The idiot didn't see him. He was expecting it to open up into another cavern. However, the tunnel remained only a few feet across and ended in a door that had been built into the rock.

The architecture was actually quite impressive.

Through the door was the true reason they came to the southeast; they had just been searching in the wrong place. Immediately hiding behind a rock, Mercury took a closer look. The White Fang were everywhere, but seemed reliant on their lazy lookout. Most of them were working around or on the train. There were quite a few of those Paladins. There was other technology down there as well, but not as obvious so he didn't know what they were.

That was not important right now. Ruby was down there and he knew how to get to her.

* * *

Good news: Ruby had found the White Fang.

Bad news: the White Fang had found Ruby.

When Ruby got out of this mess, she was asking her sister and Mercury for some hand to hand lessons. Even she would admit her attempt at fighting without Crescent Rose was pathetic. It wasn't even a fight.

That was probably how HION felt after Mercury thrashed them.

Their grip was too strong for her to break free, so Ruby had a good look around. She wasn't sure what she was expecting their hideout to be, but not this. There were the weapons that were standard for the White Fang lying around, both blades and guns. She recognised the Paladins, but what were the rectangular boxes? All those that were around it almost seemed nervous.

Torchwick was here too. What were they doing?

More importantly, how was Ruby going to get out of this mess? Maybe her Semblance?

 _Nope._

How did that string even fit in that cane? Surely the elasticity of the thread and the thinness of the weapon itself prevents the string from being folded up on itself. It would either snag or snap trying to pull someone of Ruby's weight.

"So Little Red, what are we going to do with you? I have some friends here that're really interested in making your acquaintance."

That didn't sound good. Something flickered across Torchwick's expression, but she didn't catch it. Whatever it was, she did _not_ like it.

Her growing fear was squashed when she heard a muffled explosion. The yells that followed were much louder, but Ruby didn't recognise any of the voices. There were more yells, then there were shots, then there were blasts.

 _That's Yang!_

Torchwick was distracted. Time to make a getaway and make sure he didn't drag her back this time. Shove the hat down, knock the cane away and run!

Ruby heard the shots. They were coming from everywhere. Run as fast as you can. Sidestep often and sometimes not often in a random direction. Ruby prayed luck was on her side.

"Ruby!"

Ruby was immediately pulled into a Yang hug. When her sister finished her twirl, she felt a hand caress her cheek. She gave Yang a quick hug back and Emerald's hand a quick nuzzle before pulling away.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Listen, Torchwick's got a whole armoury on down there. Everything's loaded up on the train cars."

Mercury had Crescent Rose and held her ransom as he hugged Ruby himself, making sure she was okay. Only then did he give her weapon back.

"That's ridiculous." Ruby almost hadn't noticed Dr Oobleck. "These tunnels are sealed. The tracks lead to a dead end."

"Get to your stations. We are leaving now!" Torchwick had reacted fast. Within minutes, all the White Fang had jumped on the train. There were screeches, but the train was still stationary for now.

Ruby frowned and grabbed her scroll, dialling for ZBRN. Then JWMP. No signal to both.

"No answer?" Em guessed. Ruby shook her head. No backup.

Squealing metal and the train began to move. While it was slow now, it would take very little time to reach full speed. A decision had to be made and it had to be made soon.

"Students, we have one more task as part of your mission."

Ruby nodded, determination and anticipation readying her for a fight. "We're stopping that train."

Torchwick had some plan. Time to ruin it.

Getting onto the train was remarkably easy. Its speed had increased greatly and was now going full throttle down the empty tunnels. There was no clue as to what their plan was, either outside or inside the compartment. Dr Oobleck then took them on top of the carriages. Only then did Ruby realise how long the train was.

Within moments, others were climbing up onto the top of the train as well about six carriages down. A lot of them had guns and were quite trigger happy. Yang, Ruby and Emerald immediately headed forward and returned fire. Mercury hesitated, then knelt down to open up the hatch on their current carriage, putting a barrier between him and their attackers.

"That's interesting."

Ruby moved so she took a peek herself. It was one of those rectangular boxes she had seen earlier; the ones that made everyone nervous. "What's that?"

"Most likely a bomb."

"What?!" Yang spun around. Then remembered she was still getting shot at and spun back to return fire.

Emerald met Mercury's eyes, then turned back to look at the White Fang. They hadn't stopped attacking. She quickly jumped from their carriage to the next, stopped at the hatch and pulled it open, also using it as a defence. Her gaze returned to them. "This one too."

Horror and dread grew in the pit of Ruby's stomach. Did they all have bombs?

Again, there was the sound of metal groaning. Then their carriage began to slow down and the train was getting farther away. Without a thought, the group swiftly joined Emerald, who was looking at an exact replica of what was in the previous one. The carriage had decoupled itself.

"Torchwick really doesn't want us on this train," Yang noted. "How many do you think there are?"

The other three teens didn't answer.

Dr Oobleck continued on to the next one. It was obvious from his face that it wasn't good news. "They all have bombs!"

Whoop. Beep-beep.

There was also the unmistakeable sound of an explosion behind them. Not wanting to be caught up in this one's, RMEY made a swift charge to the next carriage and the one after that. Mercury stopped one short of the one the White Fang were standing on. He checked.

"There isn't one in here."

Another explosion behind them.

Ruby didn't want to kill these people. They were enemies, but they were misguided; forced into a position they originally didn't want to be in. She had no quarrel with Faunus and wished they were treated equally; Ruby just didn't like the lengths to which they were going.

As such, she was aiming mostly for their legs to knock them over and back into the train or the hand and make them drop their guns which nine times out of ten landed on the ground rather than the train.

Mercury, oddly, didn't join in. He wasn't interested in the fight. Instead, he watched as the next carriage detached. "Why?" he murmured to himself. "What's the plan here?"

Ruby's focus remained on the White Fang. They weren't stopping. Now though, they were attacking with swords, which made it easier to stop them without actually harming them. After a while, there were no more attacking them, so she and Yang dropped those who were unconscious in the closest carriage. No bomb.

"He's leading Grimm to the city!"

Ruby finally turned around. Her eyes widened at the sight of the horde chasing the train. There must be over a hundred of them. Death Stalkers, King Taijitu, Ursa, Beowolves, Creeps…There were so many. And every one was following them.

 _No…_

"Where exactly do the tunnels stop?" Emerald asked. If the train was going this fast, it would break straight through most barriers. With the Grimm following…

"The city of Vale."

The final carriage with a bomb inside detached. The Grimm drifted to the side and remained out of its way when the resulting debris opened up yet another hole in the roof. Another King Taijitu.

 _No. That was not going to happen._

Ruby was stopping this train. There was nothing else they could do. Nothing else they would do.

Clank-clank. Those clanks were familiar…

Smash!

A Paladin had jumped onto the top of the train. Five steps forward and it was joined by a second. Looking past them, Ruby caught sight of a long line of around ten of them before the next carriage. They hadn't been activated. Yet.

"We don't have time for this," Yang stated. Two shots did absolutely nothing, just like they expected it to.

Dr Oobleck was in agreement. "Yang, stay here. You three, ignore these and get into the next carriage. Stop this train!"

Ruby nodded. She had no idea how much time they had, but they didn't have long. They could hit the end of the tracks any minute now. Yang was right; they didn't have time to fight Paladins, especially with how difficult it had been to take one down.

Now they just needed to get around these two without getting hit.

Zwei barked. He had been sticking to Yang for most of the day, save earlier in the evening when Ruby followed him. With a happy growl, he jumped onto the closest one's arm. It spun, trying to get him off without success. There was success in knocking the Paladin behind it off the train completely.

"Good boy," Mercury chuckled. Zwei looked at him with a wagging tail and barked.

The three quickly took advantage of the commotion to slip around the legs and drop down onto the platform. Their speed didn't falter as they dashed around the inactive Paladins to get to the front of the train. No White Fang appeared, but two more Paladins closest to Yang activated. They headed away from the three to meet Yang, Zwei and Dr Oobleck.

Ahead could only be four carriages. Ruby had originally thought there were more. It must be the very front they were aiming for.

"Head inside," Mercury suggested. "We haven't seen Torchwick yet and he might not be alone. On the roof, one accidental misstep and you're dead."

Ruby nodded. While that also applied to their opponents, it wasn't a risk she was willing to take. The fall would easily knock of most of their aura and the Grimm would deal with the rest. Then the train wouldn't be stopped.

"And be very careful," Emerald added, mostly to Ruby. "Remember, it's not like sparring with other teenagers."

"Emery Rules, right?" Ruby knew them, but she had shied away from using them. Except with that fight with Cinder.

"Right."

Who hadn't they seen yet? Torchwick, his friend that showed up after they destroyed that Paladin after the White Fang meeting, Adam himself, his second in command and probably a few other White Fang higher ups.

Would Cinder be here? Emerald didn't think she would deal with the White Fang directly so probably not, especially with Torchwick here. Adam was a possibility though, not that she would recognise him.

 _Hang on…What did Torchwick say earlier?_

 ** _"I have some friends here that're really interested in making your acquaintance."_**

Maybe Cinder was on this train. But that didn't sound right. Who else had taken an interest-?

The first carriage contained a load of crates and not much else. All of them were closed and sealed, so no peeking as to what was in them. They didn't have time for that anyway. Without breaking stride, they headed for the next room.

Ruby recognised who appeared in their way. It was the woman with Torchwick before; the most likely illusionist. What did Torchwick call her? Neo? They couldn't let her stall them.

"You two go ahead. I'll stay."

Emery were uncertain. After a moment, they nodded. Between Ruby and Emerald, Emery were able to slip past and reach the door. Neo made no attempt to follow them. No doubt there was someone else waiting for them on the other side.

Despite this, Ruby didn't rush into an attack. She had no idea how Neo fought. Her weapon was a parasol, but how did she use it? Ruby also wasn't entirely sure what Neo's Semblance was, even though she had seen it first-hand. Neo seemed to be one of the very rare people that had a dual Semblance: teleportation and illusions.

If Neo was with Ruby, then she wasn't farther down the train to fight Emery. She had no chance of catching them up before they stopped the train, but a teleporter would not have such a problem.

Ruby started long range, varying her aim. Some were high and some were low. The parasol blocked the high ones and she did an almost tap dance to avoid the low ones. That told Ruby nothing new about her weapon, but did show Neo to be very agile and swift.

Not a surprise but not good.

Long shots were a good stalling tactic, but that's all it was. It didn't appear that Neo had a weapon that could attack long range, so Ruby could try this for a while. It just wouldn't do anything. Ruby needed to get in closer, but be very careful. If Neo couldn't attack long range, she would be excellent at short range.

Ruby was right. She couldn't land a single hit on her. Neo moved like a dancer, spinning and twisting in order to dodge. Her parasol merely poked Ruby back, but didn't do much damage. It was much more of an annoyance than threat.

At least, that was what Ruby thought she was supposed to think.

But Ruby had seen Yang and Mercury spar many times. At the beginning, Mercury had often used her anger against her. He did the exact same thing with George at the beginning of the year on the airship. Getting angry made you lose focus. Ruby couldn't afford to do that.

After a few more minutes of short range combat, her annoyance was fading and concern was taking its place. Ruby could see by now she was outmatched; that Neo was playing with her. She just didn't understand why she was dragging this out.

 _Uh oh._

Ruby knew she should have stepped left rather than right.

SLAM

Ruby groaned as she pushed herself up. The world was spinning. She rubbed her head, then rolled to the side. She couldn't get on her feet, but she was away from where she was. In these fights, there was no such thing as a cheap shot, from either side. With her vision still a little blurry, she could make out Neo, standing where she used to be.

Neo looked at her with an intrigued expression, but nodded as if to say 'good job'.

Ruby managed to get back on her feet, but using her Semblance resulted in her almost tripping into the crates. She then used them as a barrier between her and Neo.

If anything, Neo was even more amused.

At least she wasn't going for the door.

Using a surface to backflip over while keeping your balance and aim in the right direction was fine, but Ruby hadn't quite mastered how to fire and hit your target while you were spinning. No doubt nearly all her shots missed, but one or two must have hit.

Except that Neo was where she was going, not where she had been. Ruby ducked, avoiding the swipe that would have eliminated the rest of her aura.

How do you fight an opponent that can teleport?

Neo was a defender. Wear down your opponent and then strike. Use their anger to make it happen quicker. Ruby knew the strategy, but there wasn't much she could do.

Ruby didn't need to defeat Neo to win. All she needed to do was hold out until Emery stopped the train. Although much time hadn't passed, it was obvious they had run into trouble.

Now though, something was wrong. Very wrong. Emerald was in a lot of trouble. The last time Ruby had felt that wasn't about Emerald. It had been when Mercury was kidnapped-

And Ruby knew. She knew who was waiting farther on.

 _No…_

She needed to go.

When Ruby headed to the door herself, Neo got in her way. Her smile was different, but still there. She shook her head and began her attack again. While all avoidable, the only way to do so was to get away from the door.

Ruby glared. "Get out of my way." Emerald was in danger. If she and Mercury had split up…

The attacks continued; their pattern unchanging. Their roles had been reversed, but Ruby didn't care. She didn't care about the skill difference between them, she didn't care about Neo anymore. All she cared about was getting to her girlfriend.

Ruby couldn't get anywhere near.

Minutes passed. Long minutes. Her aura was draining fast. Her opponent didn't look tired.

The Neo in front of Ruby shattered when a blast crashed into it. The Neo farther to her right that she hadn't initially seen blocked it.

"Hey Yang." Ruby didn't think she had ever been happier to see her sister. She could finally catch her breath.

"Hey Rubes. Been having fun?"

"I need to get past Yang."

Yang studied her. Her grin faded and determination set in. "Okay. Get ready to move."

Neo twirled her parasol over her shoulder, completely relaxed. This only mad Ruby angrier and more worried. Neo was going to focus on Ruby and completely ignore Yang. That much was obvious.

But Neo had no long range that Ruby had seen. She was gearing for one last use of her Semblance while Yang gave her an opening.

In the moments that followed, the battle was won by one side.

* * *

Emerald had no idea who they had just passed but as long as Ruby knew what she was up against, that was all that mattered. Once they stopped the train, they would go back and help her.

The door slid closed behind them. Unlike the last carriage, there was already someone waiting for them. This one made them stop altogether.

"Hello. Emery, wasn't it?"

Ginger.

Emerald narrowed her eyes. "No." No one got to call them that other than Ruby. All thoughts of stopping the train vanished from Emerald's mind. Anger and hate replaced it. [You go on Merc. I've got this.]

Now Mercury was very worried. [I don't think that's a good idea. We should take her together.]

[We don't have time.] While that may be true, that wasn't the main reason and both of them knew it. [Go on. I can handle her.]

[True.] He still didn't like this. After a moment, he responded. [Be careful. Cinder kept her around for a reason.]

[I know.] That was the one thing that would make sure she stayed careful. This was too good an opportunity for revenge, though. She didn't share that last thought with Mercury.

Mercury didn't want to leave her. That was obvious. Still, they had a job to do.

Ginger seemed surprised and a little disappointed that Mercury was the one that pressed on. "That's irritating." Then she grinned very happily at Emerald. Maybe she wasn't as bothered by his disappearance as she suggested.

 _Be careful._

Emerald wasn't interested in jibes. No doubt Ginger knew what her Semblance was and even if she didn't intend to leave her alive, there was no need to use Maiden power. She didn't want to risk someone walking in before the fight was done.

Using her Semblance took a lot of concentration, hence why she only changed something minor when she used it in battle. Maybe she would be a few inches to the right than what her opponent saw. She could make herself invisible again, but in such a small space that wouldn't be too helpful if Ginger had a wide range.

Knowing someone was an illusionist (or create hallucinations in this case) didn't always help. It could make them paranoid and even make the ability unnecessary.

Ginger's weapon was a cross between a rifle and a magnum. Rather than fire bullets, it fired energy like Neptune's. Rather than blue, it was burnt orange. They were easy enough to dodge, even in this confined space.

To Ginger, Emerald's image went left. Unseen Emerald went right. Ginger fell for it, but ducked before the sickle could cut her. As a result, it narrowly missed her neck, rather than her stomach as Emerald had been aiming for.

A twirl and Ginger's gun became another hybrid. It started off as a baton, then flattened along the sides until it was a blade of some sort. The very tip was the same as a pin. The whole length was quite short; Emerald would have to be pretty close to get hit or stabbed. There was no sign of the burnt orange colour, so she wasn't using the advanced technology, whatever it was. Burnt orange was probably fire.

She didn't fall for the sound of sliding crates to her left. She didn't even look.

It was odd. Ginger was affected by Emerald's hallucinations, but she was able to block her at the very last second. Any noise, whether it was a hallucination or not, was completely ignored. During one deadlock, Emerald noticed she was wearing earplugs. That made sense. If she could hear a noise, she knew it wasn't real.

Emerald didn't use her Semblance for a little while after they separated. She didn't understand how that weapon worked. The obvious answer was that the baton section was to block and knock away, leaving the opponent open to a stab. It was designed against humans, not Grimm. It was the fact that there didn't appear to be any Dust use that was obvious in gun form that bothered Emerald.

Rather than get close enough to get hit, Emerald put some distance between them and used her guns. She had the feeling she was being drawn into a trap and she did not want any surprises.

There was no denying Ginger was skilled. The main problem was that it almost felt like one of the sparring sessions at Beacon. Both were testing the water; neither was going full out. Emerald suspected Ginger's Semblance was the reason Cinder kept her around, if Mercury was right about her obsession. There was no sign of what it was though.

Though it wasn't saying much, she was better than any student. She wasn't as good as Mercury and was about par with Emerald. Ginger wasn't a replacement for an assassin.

Honestly, Emerald didn't care why Cinder hired her. Ginger had tortured Mercury and she was going to die for it.

With a gleeful smirk, Ginger amped up her attacks. Emerald matched her, getting hits in whenever she could before putting distance between them. She had to be very close to use her weapon effectively and Emerald didn't intend to let her. She could only strike a fatal blow when the aura was gone.

With the faster pace and the noticeable dip in her aura that her Semblance took, Emerald used it sparingly. It was odd. Sometimes it worked as planned, sometimes Ginger didn't react the way she should. Emerald was sure she was seeing what she wanted her to, but why wasn't she responding as most would? She normally reacted at the last second, if she acted unexpectedly.

Something was off here.

Emerald moved in faster. She needed to finish this and finish this fast. To use a Semblance, you needed aura. Her final trick against the Maiden shouldn't have worked; she had no aura left. She had wondered if Mercury had unintentionally (unknowingly) given her some when he tried to plug her wound.

Ginger responded, but not in the way Emerald expected. She took no less than five hits so she could position herself to knock her several feet back. There was an odd glint in her eyes. She snapped her fingers.

The result was a piercing, very high pitched ring through the air.

Emerald cried out. She instinctively flinched, pulling back. It felt like her head was going to explode. She didn't notice she was shaking. In the next second, it barely registered that Emerald wasn't on her feet. All she could focus was the incessant ringing in her ears.

Suddenly, the droning stopped.

Emerald groaned as the pounding in her head continued, but at least the cause was gone. When she tried to move back, something was pressed against her side and agony flared throughout her body. Then her aura shattered and it got unbearable. While in reality it was only for a few seconds, it felt like so much longer. Through her panting, two words popped into her mashed thoughts: stun rod.

Her headache lessened slightly, enough for her to be able to think. She could hear Ginger's slow footsteps where she expected them to be: in front of her. How had she been electrocuted from the side?

Emerald was pushed onto her back. She lashed out instinctively, not expecting to hit anything. The hand was knocked aside and that pain was felt again. This time, only for a second, even for her. Emerald didn't have the energy to try again.

"Come on Em, perk up. I didn't expect you to be that good."

Emerald didn't answer. Breathing was exhausting. As her vision refocused, she could make out Ginger. She was smiling far too happily. Emerald felt someone pin her wrists above her head, but there wasn't really any point; she was too tired to move. Looking up was odd; there was no one there.

And then there was.

 _Invisibility._

Emerald and Ginger had never been alone. There had been a third person, someone who Emerald hadn't stretched her hallucinations to. One earplug was a communicator and in the midst of the battle, she had missed a second voice. Keeping her distance and firing was exactly what they had wanted.

It took a few seconds to realise that the one pinning her down and the one that was kneeling next to her were the same person. No. There was a mole on one's neck and not on the other.

Twins.

Ginger had an identical twin.

Despite her heart racing, Emerald breathing was slowing. Finally returning to mostly normal. The twin's free hand covered her mouth, effectively gagging her.

Given that Ruby would already be exhausted before she arrived, Emerald dearly hoped she wouldn't. This was one fight she wouldn't win and Emerald didn't want her anywhere near these two. And after what had already happened to Mercury, she would prefer it if he didn't show either.

"Ah, I don't think Mercury told you about her. That's Pepper."

"Be fair Ginger. He doesn't know I exist. You got lucky while I had to stick to the bar."

Ginger chuckled. "That's true. You never complained about hired jobs until you saw him."

"Yeah, more dead than alive. You should have kept him longer."

"Believe me. My one regret."

The longer they talked, the more likely someone was going to show up. Was that what they were waiting for? Or were they just enjoying Emerald's fear?

"Speaking of your boyfriend…" Ginger straddled her. She leaned over and took something from on top of the crate nearby. She showed it to Emerald. "Know what this is?"

Emerald didn't recognise it. It was one of the fanciest knives she had ever seen. The blade curved a little in the middle, but the point was positioned on the same angle as if it was straight. The hilt was on the same level as the blade with only a very slight band separating it from the blade. There was some pattern along its length, but it was difficult to see.

The 'hilt' was some sort of metal. Underlying it and the blade itself had been made from silver Dust.

"No?" Ginger didn't wait for any kind of answer. "This little baby belonged to his dad. Nearly all of his silver Dust weapons went missing, but this one…Well, this one was responsible for the murder of a very influential mob boss and his family up in Atlas."

"Missed the wife though," Pepper added idly. "Shame about the kids. Wasn't one of them five?"

"Something like that." Ginger then sighed. "I had hoped to have more time with you, but we're on a tight schedule. Don't worry, it won't hurt…much." She lifted the knife again. "Just going to leave a message for your boyfriend."

Emerald tried to struggle, but her limbs barely moved. A stronger ache was the main response.

Ginger hummed and pulled a syringe out of her pocket. A prick on Emerald's neck and she felt the liquid push in. "Don't want you squirming too much."

Now her limbs didn't move at all, no matter how hard she tried. Pepper even let go. No response. She could not move a muscle. There was a sharp pain in her chest. Then another.

Emerald was going to die here.

 _Quicksilver…I'm sorry._

The darkness embraced her.

* * *

Every instinct was screaming at Mercury that leaving Emerald to fight Ginger alone was a very bad idea. The door slammed shut behind him with a louder bang than it should. Or was that just his imagination?

 _She'll be fine. She knows how to fight. She knows who she's up against; how dangerous she is. She'll be fine._

His opponent was Torchwick. Mercury had no idea how good he was in combat nor did he particularly care. His job was to stop the train. He wouldn't let Ruby down there. Then he would double back to Emerald and find her perfectly fine.

Simple.

At no point did Mercury slow down after he entered. If Torchwick wanted to grandstand, it would be even easier.

"Not who-"

Mercury silently cut him off. He wasn't interested in banter. He flipped back at the perfect time, knocking Torchwick into the air, juggled him a little and spun to smash him into the side. Torchwick was disorientated, but by no means defeated.

Ignoring him, Mercury then ran on. His objective wasn't to defeat his opponent, just get by him.

It only occurred to Mercury when he entered the driver's carriage that he had no idea how to stop a train. Oddly, the Faunus at the controls didn't even turn around when he heard the door open.

The hum of a chainsaw was the only warning Mercury got. He ducked then jumped. While he avoided the chainsaw, he got punched back. As the door was still open and had yet to close, he was forced back where he was before.

Torchwick tried to smack him back even farther. He dodged the hit, but it didn't matter. He was now farther away from the door.

"Slippery little thing, aren't you?"

Torchwick wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. It wasn't going to be as easy to get him out of the way.

Mercury's job was made even harder when Adam's second in command showed up. A cane, even with a cannon, didn't do that much damage to his aura. A chainsaw was another matter entirely and (no matter how unlikely) if his aura shattered he would be dead very quickly.

However, there wasn't much room in here, especially with how large the chainsaw was. Despite Torchwick's on record opinion of Faunus, he and the White Fang were united in this. No matter their problems with one another, they would take out an enemy first.

Maybe there was a way to turn them on each other?

There probably was, but it wouldn't work now. They were on a train that was on a collision course with Vale. A difference of opinion wouldn't change a thing. Regardless of whether or not Cinder used force to recruit the White Fang, they would have happily driven Grimm to humanity without her resources if they could. After making sure there were as few Faunus in the area as possible, something she wouldn't care about.

Torchwick kept his distance. He only fired when he was sure it would hit. The longer distance did mean there wasn't as much damage to his aura as could be.

Mercury had a different problem. Blocking a chainsaw was going to drain his aura very quickly. Dodging was the only sensible action, which occasionally left him open for a cannon hit. An aura animal wouldn't be very helpful here and he didn't want to use it until necessary as surprise would be very important to making the action successful.

For the time being, Mercury kept the lieutenant between him and Torchwick, making sure to keep his dodges small. While he could goad the Faunus into following him, Torchwick remained by the door.

How was he supposed to get past?

Although the whirring of the chainsaw was the main thing in his ears, he did catch the few times Torchwick fired at him, giving him some warning. Easy to dodge and whatever was in the crates wasn't flammable.

Every minute spent here was time not spent with his Gems. Every minute spent here was less time the train would take to crash into its destination.

Eventually, Mercury noticed that when Torchwick stepped forward, he didn't step back into his original position. He was farther away from the door than he had been earlier. That gave him an idea. He had far more than enough aura to do it. He just needed Torchwick to come closer.

That would be difficult seeing as he was partnered with someone exclusively short and wide range.

"Don't suppose it was the promise of money?" Mercury asked. It was mostly a bid for time. "I thought you were into more petty crimes?"

"Times change kid."

"Hope you know what you're getting into. The last guy in your place died."

"And you would know all about that, wouldn't you? Difference is: I know the game. He didn't."

 _Fair point._

Mercury was playing a waiting game. He would need a different distraction. The one that popped into his head required him to be in a very specific location. Fortunately, that was close, but one wrong move would be costly.

That required time. Mercury wasn't sure how much he had.

After he had no idea how long, but far too long, his heart dropped.

 _Emerald…_

He needed to get back. The problem was that his plan had brought him in the middle of the crates and he couldn't make a run for it without getting hit. Getting hit once from a chainsaw would stun him long enough to get hit again, by either of them.

Mercury's plan had a low probability of succeeding. He had intended to wait until the probability was high, but he was running out of time. Even if it succeeded, he couldn't get back to Emerald immediately. He had to go forward to go back.

He ducked under the next swipe and, staying low to the ground, kicked one particular crate hard. Like a pinball, it bounced off the opposite wall and hit the corner exactly. With most of the energy gone, it came to a stop after almost hitting Torchwick.

The winged fox appeared behind the guy and, with a quick blink to give the command, crashed into him before vanishing without being seen. Torchwick was knocked completely off balance. The Faunus had only glanced away from Mercury for a moment, to ensure the crate wasn't going to crash into him. It was enough for Mercury to blast him back a few feet and run. While his opponents regained their balance, he sent that same crate on one final journey, this time right at the other crates. Quite a few started moving.

Mercury was through.

The driver seemed surprised and very worried to see him.

"Don't worry. I'm not after you."

The wonderful thing about the word 'Emergency' was that it was often in big letters and in a very conspicuous place. In this case, it was a handle that needed to be pulled down with the key for it right next to it.

The Faunus shot at him when he reached for it. Mercury merely slid aside and fired a round back. It missed him, but hit the controls. While he was distracted, he smashed the glass and grabbed the key. One turn and pull later, the job was done.

* * *

The screech of brakes echoed down the tunnels.

On a well serviced track, the chances of train derailment during an emergency stop were high, especially at extreme speeds. On a track that had been neglected for years, the result was inevitable.

In a few seconds, the train skidded off the tracks. Much of it folded while some carriages were disconnected by opposing forces. Most of these were after the platform that carried the now defunct Paladins.

It did not take long for the transport to come to a complete stop; some carriages on their side with others the correct way up.

* * *

"Ruby! Ruby!"

Ruby groaned. "Not so loud Yang."

What had happened? One minute she was standing, then there was jerking and then everything went black when she was knocked off her feet. Her whole body ached. She didn't have any aura left.

Then Ruby remembered. She looked up.

Neo was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?"

Yang helped pull her back to her feet. "Someone got to the front and stopped the train. Neo vanished pretty quickly while the place was spinning. You smacked a crate quite hard."

That explained the more aching than most shoulder.

They stopped the train. Rather than joy, Ruby only felt fear.

 _Emerald._

The door system must have broken during the emergency and were stuck in the 'open' position. There was only grey metal at one end and that was the way Ruby needed to go. She ran over as fast as she could and placed a hand on the wall.

Then she realised the 'wall' was actually another carriage. They couldn't go out this way.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

"Something's happened to Emerald. I'm sure of it."

Yang's cheerful expression vanished. She was closer to the usable exit and the pair rapidly made use of it. It did require a bit of effort to shift crates, pieces of Paladin and other debris out of the way, but they managed.

The final pieces were shoved aside by Dr Oobleck. "Ah, ladies. Good to see you safe. Are you alright?"

"We are, but we're not sure about the other two. They went on ahead." Yang grabbed an arm off the nearest Paladin and pulled it along. She then used it as a stepping stone to get on top of the nearby pile. "Oh no."

"What?" Ruby immediately followed her up. She swallowed when she saw the carnage.

The front three carriages had not been as lucky as theirs. The platform behind them had taken much of the damage and had left theirs mostly unscathed. That had not been the case here. There were huge dents in the metal sides and impalements happening among all three. It was difficult in some places to see where one ended and the next began. It was nothing more than a junkyard.

Her Emery were in there somewhere.

"Come on!"

"Wait Ruby."

Ruby nearly overbalanced at Dr Oobleck's order. Yang caught her before she fell.

"Why?"

"Think Ruby. What was chasing the train? A huge horde of Grimm. If we go in now, we'll trapped on all sides. We hold our position and wait for them to join us. Then we'll move forward."

The Grimm. Ruby had completely forgotten about them. "But that means we're trapped anyway. The only way out is…"

"Through the Grimm, yes."

"But what if they're hurt?" Ruby knew something was very wrong with Emerald. "They could be trapped themselves down there."

"Then we need to buy them time to get out."

"Ruby." Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's Mercury. Nothing's going to stop him and he won't leave Emerald behind. Waiting is the only thing we can do. They'll be fine."

"But she's not."

"We're not leaving them behind Ruby," Dr Oobleck responded. "We'll give them ten minutes before going in after them. For now, we need to make sure no Grimm slip by us to attack them. Every Grimm we kill now is one we don't have to get past later."

"Right, okay. Ten minutes." She could wait ten minutes.

They moved farther down to the last barrier before the horde. The Beowolves were agile enough to jump onto the train, so Ruby shot them down first. Yang focused primarily on the Ursa and Creeps, with Ruby providing cover when she could. Dr Oobleck was battling the heavy hitters, mostly the Death Stalkers. He was playing them against each other, using one to damage the other.

How many they took down, Ruby had no idea. Her hands were focused on the battle before her, but her mind was focused on her missing Emery behind her. That was where she wanted to be.

Yang still had a lot of aura and energy. She was fighting as she normally did, happy to smash the Grimm around and especially into each other. She was mostly quiet though; there was no cheering or taunts. She was brutal, but very effective.

Another down. Another. Another.

There were Grimm as far back as Ruby could see. It would be a colossal fight to get to one of the holes in the roof, but they had to manage it. The end of the sealed tunnels was actually farther away than Ruby thought; she hadn't been able to see it even with her sniper rifle. There were also no bombs or Paladins left for Torchwick to use. Nearly everything that had been on the train had been smashed beyond repair and what was left was useless.

Six minutes.

Ruby heard crunching of metal behind her, followed by a crisp snap.

A separated train carriage went flying past her and smashed into the King Taijitu that had been approaching.

"What the hell?" Yang yelped.

Ruby looked behind her. She saw what had done it. She just wasn't sure what she was looking at. All she could do was stare.

It was huge; bigger than a King Taijitu. Its body was a similar shape as well: reptilian and snakelike. This though had short arms and claws with bat like wings. The head was far sharper and bulkier; nothing like a snake's. On either side of where its nostrils would be were whip like features. The word that popped to mind was 'dragon'.

The only reason Ruby wasn't panicking was due to the fact it was a very familiar shade of silver.

Mercury created _that_?

It flew passed them and began to rip the Grimm into literal pieces. A hard battle quickly turned into a massacre. The claws were used to throw and tear, the tail was used to throw and batter away, and the jaws were a death trap through crunching and tearing.

With their survival at stake, the Grimm completely ignored them and attacked the 'dragon', which Ruby now saw spikes along the spine of. There was something about it that was bothering Ruby.

A thump behind her made her jump. Ruby spun around. Mercury had caught up and something was terribly wrong.

 _No._

Emerald was unconscious in his arms. She wasn't moving. For some reason, she was wearing Mercury's jacket.

Ruby ran up to her, placing a hand on her cheek. Nothing. Her thumb moved softly and she swallowed. Then hissed and pulled her hand back when Emerald's skin suddenly became white hot. What the hell had happened to her?

Ruby looked to Mercury with a question on her lips. It died in her throat. His eyes were so dark; it was difficult tell whether they were grey or black. His features were too flat. It took Ruby a few seconds to realise Mercury was only wearing half a shirt, leaving his stomach and lower back bare.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Mercury." Yang spotted him and very quickly joined them. She halted in her tracks when she saw Emerald properly. "What happened Mercury?"

Mercury didn't answer. His eyes remained on Emerald. Did he even know they were here?

Ruby stepped forward. She raised her arms and wrapped them around him and Emerald. "Come on Merc. We need to go." Emerald was too hot again. Ruby tried to ignore it. After a few seconds, her temperature cooled to what it should be. This wasn't normal. Ruby's hand touched his cheek. His eyes dragged to her. "We need to go. Em needs proper help."

After a moment, Mercury nodded.

Dr Oobleck had kept his eyes on the battle. It hadn't slowed in the slightest. The dragon was swiping most of the small Grimm away with its tail. The jaws clamped around the stinger of a Death Stalker and lifted it into the air. A swing of the head and that Death Stalker had crashed on top of a group of Beowolves.

Then it looked back towards them. It flew back and clamped onto one the detached carriages (not the one with most of the White Fang in). It threw it to the front of the train. A crash told them what it had hit.

Now Ruby knew what was off about it. It was moving, but it wasn't being possessed. The eyes weren't Mercury's grey eyes. They were the normal silver aura colour. Her own eyes drifted to its creator and she knew. She knew what was off.

Mercury had no control over his dragon.

Ruby wasn't afraid of Mercury or the dragon; he would never hurt her. What she was afraid of was that the dragon was being attacked by Grimm and Mercury didn't seem to have noticed.

"Right then ladies and gentleman. Time to go!" Dr Oobleck spun his weapon and pointed back at the rapidly approaching horde. "Our target is the nearest hole in the roof. Mercury, keep your new friend close."

Ruby and Yang nodded. Mercury looked up. The dragon completely froze for a few seconds, before turning back and charging again. The Grimm initially ignored it; only attacking after it attacked them.

With new energy, the four ran on. Yang and Ruby had changed their targets. They aimed for the ones that would actually land a hit on the dragon. In turn, the dragon ripped apart any Grimm that dared to come anywhere near the group, especially the ones that didn't go down in one hit.

The problem was that its movement was very erratic. Swift and deadly. It didn't follow any pattern at all. It spent most of the time around Mercury and Ruby, then would dash ahead and crush Grimm to pieces.

Yang had wondered if the aura animals were linked to emotion. Ruby looked at Mercury. He hadn't said anything since they split up. Ruby had tried to aura read him during one of the minor stops they made while the dragon dealt with the larger Grimm. She hadn't been able to and it made her feel very ill trying.

Mercury was focused on getting out. That was the only thing Ruby could tell. The rest…

Emerald was still unconscious. Her temperature would be normal for a few seconds before rocketing into white hot. Some fewer seconds later and it would return to normal. Mercury was still wearing those metal arm guards. He must be feeling the burns. He just didn't seem to notice.

The dragon wasn't just killing the Grimm. It was ripping them to pieces, even after they were dead.

There were only two slightly tricky parts to their tactics. One: it wasn't easy running at full speed and shooting accurately. Two: the dragon was so unpredictable it was impossible to guess what it was going to do.

Ruby didn't pay much attention to the Grimm. Instinct and experience shot at the Grimm. It was so easy, it was mind numbing. The path was a straight line; no thought needed there. Her eyes kept flickering to Emery; to Emerald who should be awake, to Mercury who should be joking and fighting. Both were eerily silent.

 _We should never have split up. Then Emerald wouldn't have…_

Crescent Rose clicked. The clip was empty. As if she were a robot, Ruby replaced it.

 _We should never have split up. We should have stuck together. Moved as a group. Three against one are much better odds. We have never been beaten as a team. We should have stuck together. We should have protected each other…Protected her…_

"There!"

Ruby blinked at Yang's shout, snapping back to the present. She hadn't noticed the approaching daylight filtering into the underground. They were nearly out.

Emerald would be treated soon.

"Alright then. Yang, you first and call for help. Mercury, you go too. Ruby, we're last."

Yang used a Creep as a launch platform. She landed easily and immediately grabbed her scroll. Mercury used the dragon itself to get out. It did not stop moving for him. In less than five seconds, her family were out of the underground, but not out of danger.

"Okay Ruby. Up you go."

"Right."

Ruby picked up Zwei. Like Mercury had, she jumped on the dragon. Unlike when Mercury had, the dragon stopped moving. At this angle and so close, Ruby could see what looked like scales on the underside. As she didn't have to worry about it throwing her off, she hopped farther along the body and then off altogether.

Once she was up top, the dragon vanished completely.

Mercury was kneeling next to where he lay Emerald, with Yang having a hand on his shoulder.

"Help's on the way, Merc."

Ruby approached, barely noticing Oobleck appear behind her. Before she got to him, Mercury collapsed next to their girlfriend.

"Mercury!"

Yang shook his shoulder. Ruby placed a hand on his chest. He responded to neither. Ruby knew that, unlike Emerald, he wasn't dying but something had happened. This wasn't like him.

 _Hang on Emery. Soon. Just hang on a little longer._

If the other two said anything, Ruby didn't hear it. If Grimm attacked, Ruby didn't notice.

 _Emery…_

After what felt like forever, a bullhead arrived.


	21. Simple Steps

**AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

"…And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going down to wait for them there." Dr Oobleck, having finished his report, left the office.

For several seconds after he left, the room was silent.

General Ironwood was the first to speak. "Mercury Black is an Aura Warrior?"

"Indeed," Headmaster Ozpin responded. "However, I am very sure that is one creature he has never summoned before. I did not think it possible. His Simple form is a winged fox."

"And you didn't think to mention that?" General Ironwood noticed that Professor Goodwitch wasn't surprised; she already knew.

"Not at this time. He still has much to learn about his abilities. At the moment, the issue of that pair needs to be put aside. It is not important. If that train had succeeded in reaching its destination, the fallout could have been catastrophic. However, that could not have been the endgame."

"Agreed. The Grimm's entrance was funnelled and with the fleet and Beacon so close by, backup would have arrived instantly. I will send some soldiers to the area and attempt to capture those responsible. I will let you know the results of that investigation." With those words, General Ironwood left. The two Beacon professors didn't call him back.

Professor Goodwitch turned to look at the Headmaster. He was staring out of the window. The Atlas ships were nearby, as stationary as they had been when they first arrived at Beacon.

"I imagine those that are truly responsible were either not there or will have already left by the time James arrives."

Professor Goodwitch had a different wonder. "It is odd that the two that were the most experienced and dangerous were the ones who were hurt the worst."

"Perhaps that was the reason. They are the biggest threat. Emerald will pull through. Of that, I am sure. If you will excuse me, I have two phone calls to make."

* * *

Qrow had spent most of the last two days in one of the private rooms in the Beacon infirmary. Tai had been the same, arriving within an hour of being told by Oz that something bad had happened. Ruby had never left her Emery's side. Yang had only left to run errands. There was none of the usual joy in them.

Emerald's survival had been down to one fact: she was part Maiden. As well as some sort of mix of anaesthetic and very strong muscle relaxant, she had had a poison in her veins that was popular for criminals, especially in Mistral. While all hospitals and infirmaries carried an antidote (it was that common), it normally killed the victim in ten minutes; before help could arrive. Emerald's rapid and extreme temperature changes had been her subconsciously using that Maiden power to try and burn away the poison, only to stop every few seconds so as not to damage herself. That kept the poison at bay long enough to get back to Beacon. Her other injuries were no doubt traumatic, but not fatal. Even so, it would be those that would take the longest time and be the most difficult to recover from.

At first, it was unclear what was wrong with Mercury. The burns on his arms were the only obvious damage. However, his aura had been remarkably unstable. Save for treating the burns, there wasn't much that could be done. His aura had to sort itself out. Not something they could help him with. The very late evening of that second day was when it settled back to normal. Mercury would probably wake soon.

Barty had initially told the story as he escorted the two concerned guardians to the infirmary, without his usual enthusiasm. Ruby had confirmed that her Emery had gone on ahead while she stalled someone she knew could teleport. That had been a smart idea.

What happened to Emerald and Mercury afterwards was clear and unclear. Emerald must have been down before the train stopped and had been very lucky not to get killed when it derailed. As Mercury was the one that was still conscious, he had to be the one to slam on the brakes. He was the one who regrouped with the others, carrying Emerald. The missing parts of his shirt had been found slowing the bleeding from wounds on her chest and stomach. The knife he had used to cut the fabric had been attached to his belt. It was also the same knife that had cut Emerald.

A silver Dust knife.

If they were mere cuts, the scars would be bad enough. The fact that they were words…

Qrow swallowed a good mouthful from his flask. He had seen some demented acts in his time. This was among the most horrific.

"Mr Branwen, this is a hospital." Dr Waterbrook had entered with a clipboard.

"It's also two in the morning."

"A time when most should be asleep."

On the day, Ozpin had immediately called Qrow and told him that Emerald and Mercury had been badly, possibly fatally injured. Oz had then called Tai next. Even though they were a continent apart, Tai had been on a mission himself and had been closer to Vacuo. Qrow had made a quick stop in Patch and so the two got to Beacon at around the same time, a few minutes apart. Dr Oobleck had been waiting for them.

At the time, Emerald and Mercury had been separated. She had needed much more attention and focus than him, so she had been kept in another room. It was only after she stabilised that she had been moved to the double room Mercury had been put in. Ruby had insisted they be together as soon as possible.

Right now, Ruby was asleep in the chair between the beds, resting her head on Emerald's pillow. Tai and Yang had gone back to the dorms for the night.

"Well, doc? Any new news?"

The reason Qrow had stopped at Patch was to grab Mercury's medical file. He had given him the option of whether to let the doctor see it by not sending on and he had never contacted him to tell him to send it on, even after Waterbrook had asked Qrow for it for the black Dust. He had done without it at the time. Now though, it was needed.

 _You know kids, landing in a hospital bed is a very poor habit to fall into._

"Yes actually. I've got the results of Mr Black's last blood test and they were interesting."

"Now's not the time for 'interesting'. Good or bad?"

"Good. There aren't any black Dust particles in his bloodstream."

"So your treatment worked." That was some good news. They could all do with good news.

"Mostly. When he arrived two days ago, the level was very low. Sometime last night, there was a mutation in his cells. The treatment would have taken at least another week. His immune system managed to eliminate what remained in a few hours."

"A mutation, huh? That's even better." If by some miracle he was injected with black Dust again, his immune system would automatically fight it as if it were a disease.

"Agreed. Given how Dust is sometimes affected by aura, it could have been that flair settling that caused its elimination. That is rather unlikely. I've come across no cases in which aura affects the body on a cellular level. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. That said, I've never worked with an Aura Wielder before. The mutation could have just been random."

Qrow scoffed and took another gulp.

Ruby had described Mercury's new aura animal as a dragon. She wasn't wrong.

Barty was able to show them exactly what it was from an upper year textbook: a Grimm. A perfect image. The Grimm dragon that lived in the sea. It was a bane to humanity's travels, both by sea and air. Mercury had created an aura Grimm that he had probably never seen before and, more importantly, had had very little control over it.

Now they knew what they were looking for, there was quite a bit of research on aura animals to be found. There were still no records of one being a Grimm. Unicorn: fine. A natural animal with wings when it shouldn't have? Very rare but still in past records. No Grimm.

"And Emerald? Any change in her?"

"Currently not. Her system is as it should be. I'll keep her under for another day so there's no chance she'll go into shock when she wakes." Waterbrook gave a very deep sigh. "I'm very sorry, but there's nothing I can do for the physical scars that will remain."

That was known. It was the mental scars Qrow was also worried about. All four had been affected, not just Emerald.

Officially, their mission had been a success. They had stopped a train from unleashing hundreds of Grimm into the heart of Vale, saving thousands of lives. In reality, it didn't feel that way. Their return was tainted by Emerald's horrific condition. That was the only thing they could focus on. The mission was a success, but it wasn't a true victory.

Despite the odds, all four had gotten out alive. That was something to be proud of. They were still alive.

There was a soft whine at his feet.

Qrow blinked and looked down. Zwei had managed to get into the room. He was looking at the two beds with his ears drooping.

Waterbrook frowned. "How did a dog get in here?"

"Who knows?" He knelt down to give the dog a pet. "They'll be fine." He stood up. "I'll take him back. Shouldn't be long. You staying in here?"

"No. Best not to disturb them. I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Hopefully not. Come on you."

Zwei followed obediently. He had probably entered when the doctor had, but had kept quiet. The quiet continued as they walked along the empty corridors of the school. Most students were probably in their dorms by now, with very few still on the job outside.

Team RMEY was the only team that had needed the infirmary after their mission.

Remedy. Of all the names to pick, Oz went with that.

Soon enough, Qrow had arrived at their dorm. He opened the door. "In you go." Zwei whined, but did so. Qrow was about to close the door when he realised their dorm had changed since the last time he was here.

Yang was asleep on the bottom bunk of the remaining bunk bed. Tai was sitting at the desk, his head resting on his knuckles. He snapped back to reality when Zwei jumped on him.

"Did something happen?"

"Just bringing Zwei back. The only change is that Mercury doesn't have any black Dust left in his blood."

"That's some good news."

"Yeah." He glanced around the room. "I remember there being two bunk beds last time I was here. Yang explain that?"

"She did actually." Tai shifted his gaze to look at the double bed. "Did you know Ruby, Emerald and Mercury were dating?"

That was news to Qrow. "Nope. How long?"

"A few months apparently. I don't whether to kill Mercury or give him a pat on the back. I see that kid as a son and he's dating two of my daughters. Now he's in the hospital again."

He was and there wasn't much they could do to help him. "He's recovering." Qrow put those thoughts aside and shrugged. "They could do a lot worse. At least they're not related to him. Puts a new meaning on our term 'Ruby's Emery'." He remembered the last time he saw them, when Amber had removed the mark. They had cradled him that day.

"You're not helping Qrow." Tai groaned and put his face in his hands. "Please tell me they've found a way to heal silver Dust scars."

Qrow's shoulders dropped as he let out a soft sigh. "Sorry Tai." That the wounds had yet to heal was irrelevant. They knew they would. That the scars wouldn't fade and Emerald would have to live with them…

Oz had tentatively suggested to Qrow alone that it was possible the Spring Maiden's power may be able to heal her. Maiden power had proven to be superior to aura and Dust. Qrow wasn't hopeful. Even if it worked (which he very much doubted) they would almost certainly have to kill Cinder Fall first for her to get all of it and that probably wasn't happening anytime soon. And rainbow Dust sounded too good to be true, especially with no current samples.

Now he thought about it, those words did make more sense now that he knew that they were dating.

The question still remained: who did it? That had been very personal, but the message hadn't been for Emerald. It had to have been for Mercury. The only name that Mercury had given him to look into was Ginger and had actually asked him to when she showed up in Vale. It would made sense that she was responsible.

"…Are you staying here or going back to Mistral?" Tai asked, his eyes on Yang.

Qrow knew if he said Mistral, Tai would find somewhere in Vale to stay. They weren't leaving them now. "No, don't need to. I intended to stick around for a while. You?"

Tai looked relieved at that. It was easier for Qrow to keep an eye on them and keep his distance if they needed it. "I'll find a place in Vale, though I may be back and forth from Patch for a few weeks."

"I'll watch over them." That was a promise. "So I had better head back to the others."

"Yeah. I'll make sure Zwei stays here."

"Heh."

The walk back to the infirmary was just as quiet.

So the three were dating. That was interesting. That Yang seemed fine with it was even more interesting. How had her 'break my sister's heart and regret it' speech gone to these two, who would never intentionally harm her? Especially when Yang would have given it to anyone dating any of the three. She must have been very confused how to react when they turned to each other.

Just like her dad.

Those two had certainly come far. Qrow had never been worried about Emerald. She had taken to her new situation well and had seemed happy from the very beginning. As for Mercury, those girls had obviously been good for him. Qrow hadn't thought he was the romantic type.

All three would now have to cope with a darkness that only Mercury may have known existed. They would need each other now more than ever.

Walking back into their private room in the infirmary was telling.

Ruby was on the bed on the right, sleeping under the sheets. That she hadn't woken up when she had been moved was a testament to her exhaustion. Mercury was awake, sitting in the chair in the centre with one hand caressing Emerald's cheek. His eyes glanced at Qrow, then dismissed him.

"Good to see you awake Mercury."

To Qrow's slight surprise, Mercury didn't respond in any way. He was practically as still as a statue, the slow movement on his chest and thumb being any indication of otherwise.

"We managed to treat the poison and she should recover."

Qrow got a small reaction there. Mercury's eyes flickered to the knife that had been left on the nightstand, out of Emerald's view when she would wake. After a moment, his gaze returned to her. He still didn't say anything.

This was a young man that had endured extreme torture for five days and had barely reacted to it. He had responded as if it was just another day in his life; no mental damage, concerning as that was. Now he was responding as a normal teenager would. Which reaction was worse?

No matter how much time passed, there was nothing from him. He paid no attention to Qrow, even when he slipped his scroll out of his pocket.

Qrow: Could you get to the infirmary? Mercury's awake and I want to get him out of this room

After a moment, there was a response.

Tai: What's happened?

Tai: How is he?

 _'How is he?' I don't know, but pretty bad. It's like he's a shell._

Qrow: He's shut down

That was the best way to describe it. It would be slow, but they needed to start pulling him out of this state. Qrow had an idea, but even he would admit it was a crazy and fairly harsh one. It could backfire easily. His only other idea was to throw him off one of Beacon's spires and fight him if he retaliated. Anger was better than this…emptiness. That idea came with its own problems and risks, especially if Mercury didn't retaliate.

However, in order to have any chance of getting him to leave, there had to be someone here to watch over the girls even if there was no danger to them. Someone he trusted. Yang would understand if Tai had returned to them before she woke up.

When Tai entered, Mercury didn't even look around.

Tai studied him for a moment, then glanced at Qrow. [Are you sure getting him out of the room is a good idea? I think he needs to be here.]

Qrow didn't like the situation either. [Only for an hour, two at most. I think he's only going to get worse if we don't do something soon.]

Ruby curled up a little more. She was shivering a bit. Mercury noticed instantly and went to her. His fingers ran through her hair as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Ruby let out a soft moan and settled, without waking up. After waiting a moment and seeing Ruby was calm, he moved to resume his vigil over Emerald.

[No doubt they're closer than they were.]

Qrow nodded. Mercury seemed to have forgotten they were there. [Two hours at most Tai. I promise.]

[You had better. I do not want to explain to Ruby why Mercury's gone if she wakes up.]

That would not be fun. Ruby could be quite the devil when she wanted to be.

Qrow stepped forward. "Mercury." Whether it was his voice or approach that got Mercury's slight attention, he didn't know. "Emerald's not going to wake until at least tomorrow. Probably the day after." That got his full attention. "Right now, you could do with some air." Mercury narrowed his eyes dangerously, to Qrow's relief. "The girls aren't going to like seeing you like this."

Emotional blackmail was hitting low and Tai would agree, but it did the trick. Mercury didn't take it the same way most people would though. He frowned as he contemplated that and returned his gaze to Emerald. Then he looked at Ruby. He nodded and stood up.

That was easier than Qrow expected.

Mercury still didn't say anything though. Nor did he complain when he was led into Vale. He looked over his shoulder a few times back at the school, but he never argued to go back. His silence was very unnerving. He didn't even react when Qrow took him into a bar.

Qrow left him in one of the booths that was hidden from sight and hearing of the rest of the establishment before heading to the bartender. He ordered one alcohol drink and a pineapple flavoured Dr Piper can (not alcoholic and pineapple was Mercury's favourite). The can Qrow placed next to his seat, out of Mercury's view. The alcohol was slammed down in front of the teen, making enough noise to grab his attention.

Mercury stared at it.

Qrow waited.

"You know I don't drink."

An inaudible sigh of relief. That was a huge gamble. Yet it paid off.

"I would have been insulted if you took it." Qrow dragged the glass to his side and placed the Dr Piper can in front of Mercury. He checked it hadn't been opened yet before doing it himself. "You knew there was a much better drink under your bed at Patch and you didn't take it." He knew that bottle had been moved after Qrow put it there, but no one had tasted it.

Mercury took a gulp from the can. "…Why was it even there?"

"I wanted to hide it from Tai. The girls would have been tempted, even Ruby. You probably wouldn't be."

"Hide it? That stuff must have cost a fortune."

He was talking. Rather calmly. Hopefully he wouldn't shut down again.

"Exactly. And it was a gift from an…acquaintance. If he got hold of it, he would say that there was no occasion good enough for it and lock it up." On second thought… "He may break it out when he goes back home. Not every day you find out your birth daughter, your adopted daughter and your adopted son are dating."

Mercury gave him a rather blank look. Qrow knew the problem.

"You see Silvertongue, if you were to ask most of the girls in Beacon about their father, they will probably tell you they have him wrapped around their little finger. Most fathers dote on their daughters. For most, it's a rule that they don't like who they are dating. The problem here is that Tai likes you."

"…So where does that leave me?"

"Most likely a mention not to break their hearts. If you get lucky, you might get a congratulations. I will say it was smart of Yang to tell him when you were already in the infirmary. Matter of interest, how did Yang take it?"

"She set us up."

"Better than I expected then." Qrow thought it was safe to think the three had been dancing around each other and Yang had interfered. It wasn't like Yang would say 'date or I'll kill you'. Emerald and Mercury would have laughed and Ruby would have rebelled.

Mercury's eyes were down. What was on his mind was obvious, but would pushing him result in him shutting down again? Did Qrow ask or didn't he? If he let it go now, he may not get another chance and it was clear that his mental health would suffer.

As the silence dragged, Qrow knew he would have to make a choice. Mercury had rejected the choice of drowning his sorrows.

"What happened Silvertongue?"

What happened? How did Emerald end up like that? Who did that to her?

The can was completely still. The drink in front of Qrow had yet to be touched.

"…I left her." Qrow strained his ears. Mercury's voice was less than a whisper. "I knew better and I left her."

It was suspected that Emerald and Mercury had split up. Logic would suggest that Emerald had hung back and Mercury had gone on. There was no other way for the job to be done in time. He had returned to her as soon as he could and had managed to get everyone out of Grimm infested tunnels, but he had mentally shut down in the process.

This was Mercury's reaction to guilt and self-loathing.

Had he ever felt either before?

The can in his hand bent a little when the grip was too strong. The noise snapped Mercury out of his memories. He sighed and took a few long gulps. Qrow waited.

"…It was Ginger. Emerald told me to go on. I did. By the time I got to the front…" He drifted off and shook his head slightly. "I already knew something had happened. When I got back to her…"

Qrow couldn't imagine the scene Mercury must have walked into.

"Was Ginger still there?" And if she was, what did she say?

"No. Just Em and…"

"…And?"

Another gulp. He seemed even more reluctant. "That knife. It belonged to Marcus. I would recognise it anywhere. Don't know how she got it but…Then I saw what she did. What happened to Em…and why…"

What happened to Emerald was…Words couldn't describe it.

The knife belonged to Mercury's biological father? That could not be a coincidence. Ginger was that obsessed with him. She wasn't going to stop. She would continue; aiming not just for him but for Emerald and Ruby too.

It was the why, not the what, that was tearing him apart.

"Did you read the messages on your scroll when you woke up?" Mercury didn't look up. He just shook his head. "I found out Ginger is one of triplets." He looked up sharply. "Well, technically, she has an identical twin sister and a brother who happened to be born at the same time. He might look very different."

"Triplets? I didn't see-"

"They might not have been there. It's just a warning. The sister is most likely just as crazy. The brother might be different."

"How old are they?"

An odd question. "Nineteen." Why would he…? "You're worried one of them is in Beacon."

"They're about the right age. No Ginger clone but this brother…If he finds out about Emerald-"

"She'll be fine. Tai's there now. Ruby never left your side. Yang will kill anyone who looks at Emerald funny. And you?"

"I won't leave her."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about. When it comes to bodyguards, she's spoilt for choice. Besides, I'd be more worried about yourself."

"Me huh?"

"Who was it that created a dragon, Silvertongue? Emerald is devastating in the right circumstances. You are devastating in nearly any circumstances."

"…I guess it wasn't exactly subtle."

Qrow let a chuckle escape him. His hand slipped into a pocket and he pulled out a little black book. It was a little worn, but all things considered it was in very good condition. He pushed it along the table. "This is a diary belonging to someone with the exact same image as yours. More useful to you than us. Keep in mind how old it is. How'd you get that dragon anyway?" For now, he wasn't going to tell him it was a Grimm. He had enough on his mind.

Mercury twirled the can a little, frowning. "I'm…not sure actually. I wouldn't call myself sane at the time. Revenge, despair, anger, loathing, almost no hope…but that wasn't it. It was…I needed a way to get Emerald out safely. I needed a way to protect Ruby. I needed a guardian; something that could take hits and dish them out just as viciously. I focused my aura and that dragon appeared."

Chaotic emotions did partly explain why a Grimm appeared. But the word Mercury used was 'guardian'. Did he know what he was saying; the significance of that word? Probably not.

"Guardian, huh? That's interesting."

"Why?"

"No matter how powerful, or not powerful, the Wielder was, there were always at least two animals they could create. One is a Simple form. The other is a Guardian form." If Mercury's Guardian form was a Grimm-

Come to think of it, given Mercury's personality, that wasn't as much of a surprise as it should be.

"But I could probably create more animals." The spark was slowly returning to his eyes. Mercury did like a challenge. Something to focus on would do him some good.

"Most likely. Though they won't be as special as those two."

Yang had told them of how the aura Grimm had behaved and it did sort of fit a Guardian. Its time was spent either around Mercury and Ruby, protecting them, or attacking the horde to get them to safety. Ironic that a Grimm was a protector.

Qrow had no doubt Mercury could create more aura animals once he figured out how. However, only the Simple and Guardian forms were based on personality. The others seemed to be based on something else.

"I…had no control over it. It wasn't like the fox. It moved on its own, without me. That normal?"

Probably not. "No idea. What I just told you is in that diary, though you would have to skip quite a few chapters. She controlled hers right from the start. She did have a bear as hers though, if that's any help."

"It's not." Mercury swallowed the rest and placed the now empty can on the table. He let out a low breath. "…Thanks."

Qrow smiled. He nodded and downed the alcohol in one go. "Let's get you back before Ruby wakes up. Otherwise, she's not going to be happy."

Mercury smiled slightly. "I pity Taiyang if she does."

So did Qrow. "Here's one thing you can do to stay in his good books: don't get them pregnant."

Mercury stared at him for a few seconds. Then he laughed. A very genuine laugh. "No worries about that. I've no interest in becoming a father."

Again, Mercury was quiet on the way back. This time though, he was less depressed. Still sad, but not depressed. Things like this weren't fixed overnight, but he was better than he was before. Some progress was better than none.

Uh oh. Ruby had woken up. She really wasn't happy and seemed to have learned quite a few interesting words from Yang. Given the reason why she was angry, Tai didn't scold her. By the state of him, she hadn't been awake long.

It did make Mercury smile when he entered. "I'm gone for 90 minutes and you start using language like that?"

Ruby blinked at him. Naturally, she then crashed into him. "Do _not_ do that again."

"Don't worry Ruby." His hand ran up and down Ruby's back as she tried to bury herself in him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Tai caught Qrow's eye and gave him a small nod. It had been an insane gamble, but it had paid off. Now they could only wait, giving their love and support.

* * *

Dr Waterbrook had stopped giving Emerald anaesthetic today. Now they were waiting for the effects to wear off and for her to wake up.

Mercury was sitting on the chair in the middle. Ruby was sitting in his lap, curled up in his embrace. She had panicked when she had woken up in the bed he had been sleeping in and found him gone. Although Dad had told her he was fine and had merely been dragged out partially willingly by Uncle Qrow, she wanted to see him, using words she didn't realise she knew. Dad had given her a stern talking to about that afterwards.

Her boyfriend had picked up that Ruby was angry with him very quickly. He had gotten the silent treatment for the rest of that night. He hadn't complained. By the more reasonable hours of the morning, Ruby had had enough of ignoring him. She remembered how he had been in those tunnels. He let her fuss over him even though they both knew he was fine. Ruby slept on top of him when she got too tired and he was perfectly happy with that.

Emerald's rest looked peaceful. She had stopped burning up when the poison was neutralised, but there had been nothing else and that was before she was put under anaesthetic. She had just slept. At least she wasn't in any pain.

 _You'll be okay Em. We'll look after you._

Ruby leaned over a little and gently gripped Emerald's hand. Mercury held her carefully, making sure she didn't end up on the floor. He was just as worried as she was.

"I'm sorry," Ruby mumbled. She had said that a lot this week, but it didn't make up for what happened at all. "I should've…" She should have done a lot of things. "I'm sorry…"

[You didn't do anything wrong Ruby. You didn't know. I did. I never thought this would happen.]

Mercury and guilt didn't mix well. Every time Ruby read his aura, it actually hurt her to feel a little of what he was feeling. He just couldn't block her out right now. He wasn't even trying to. There was a difference between being strong and being callous.

[I was the one who suggested we split up in the first place.]

[Which was fine for Neo. Even for Torchwick. But not for Ginger. And I should have known that.]

[Something happened Mercury. Emerald should have won.]

[Maybe she did. She was injected with a tranquiliser Ruby. By the sound of it, the same one that took me down in Glade Town.]

Ruby had honestly forgot that part. Her mind always focused on the state of him afterwards, not how he came to be captured in the first place. "Why not use it on all of us then?" Then most likely both Emerald and Mercury would have…

"May not have had enough. It costs a _lot_ of money. More than a lawyer makes in a year and that's for one dose. This is a drug that can take down a full powered Huntsman in a matter of minutes or even seconds."

That nearly stopped Ruby's heart. "That means that if Ginger has more, then she'll-"

"Ruby. Deep breaths." She obeyed. Or tried to. "What I mean is that there is probably only a few suppliers in the world and since you found me, those numbers went down. Quite a few individuals got arrested for selling them. As much as she might want to, Ginger's not going to get another one to use on us. It's a valuable and very restricted resource that Cinder isn't going to waste. We're a nuisance, not a threat."

"That's what she thinks," Ruby muttered. Her heart wasn't in it. It was still hammering, still terrified. What had happened to her Emery and they had the resources to do it again. Now they had probably figured out Mercury was an Aura Wielder and _he_ might be seen as a threat. And Ginger would come back-

"Still deep breaths Ruby." Ruby's fingers squeezed a little more on Em's. She couldn't lose them. She just couldn't.

All she could hear was her pounding heart.

Mercury's chest moved out of sync. His breathing had changed. He was using his aura for something. Hopefully for her eagle. It always seemed lighter in that aura animal. She would like that now. She glanced over at the bedside cabinet. The mist hadn't formed a shape yet.

Ruby's breath caught in her throat.

 _That's not an eagle._

She stared. She couldn't help it. A tiny chuckle escaped.

The last aura animal Ruby had seen him create was a dragon. It had been awesome, vicious, gigantic and so very Mercury when she thought about it. His 'Simple form' he called it was a winged fox, but apparently he could make more. He had shown her the diary he had been reading, but she hadn't had a look herself. What she did understand was that the animals (save the eagle and quetzalcoatl) were linked to Mercury in some way…

An almost snigger escaped.

…which made the small kitten sitting on the bedside cabinet seem very ridiculous.

Ruby risked a glance at Mercury. He was frowning at it, almost as if he couldn't believe what he had made. She giggled. At the kitten or at Mercury, she wasn't sure. She shifted a little and the kitten jumped onto her lap. She gently stroked its back. It felt like fur.

It was odd. Logically, she knew this was only Mercury's aura and not a real kitten, but they often treated them as if they were actual animals. It was difficult not to, especially when it acted like them. What did it feel like for him? By how he seemed to relax his muscles, it must feel nice.

Emerald's fingers curled around hers a little.

The kitten was instantly forgotten. "Emerald?"

Emerald groaned as a tremor shook her. Her free hand rubbed her eyes. She tried to sit up. Ruby immediately moved to help her up.

"It's okay. You're safe now." Ruby was held close. She could feel Emerald shaking. "It's okay."

Mercury slipped behind Emerald on the bed. Once he was balanced and comfortable, he gently pulled Emerald back towards him. She leaned against him very willingly, using him as a pillar while taking Ruby back with her. Completely embraced by her Quicksilver, Emerald's shivers began to slowly subside.

"Thank you. For everything."

Ruby didn't know what to say to that, so she just stayed close, trying to calm her. How do you cheer up someone who had been through what Emerald had? Ruby kept a small smile on her face, easy to do now that Emerald was awake. The last thing Emerald needed was for them to break down.

Emerald may have stopped trembling, but her breathing was too irregular. Ruby wriggled out of her arms a little so she could return the favour better. Emerald didn't seem to mind, but her eyes remained closed.

"Mercury…what did she write?"

Both of them flinched. "Emerald-"

"Please Merc. I don't want to see it in a mirror first."

Mercury swallowed and looked at Ruby. She knew what he was asking, but she had no idea what to do. She really didn't want to say. When she had first heard about it, Ruby had thrown up. She didn't want to tell her.

Mercury's low voice shook.

"'One Gem shattered

One Gem to crack and dust.'"

Emerald took a deep breath. She managed a nod. "There were two of them. Ginger and Pepper."

Mercury let out a mix of a sigh and frustrated growl. "Qrow sent a message about that, but due to the reception at Mountain Glenn, I didn't get it in time. Ginger is one of triplets. We don't know anything about the brother."

"I didn't see him."

"Yeah…Emerald I'm-"

"If you say 'I'm sorry', you're going in the doghouse."

Ruby's smile was a little easier to hold then. "He's already in the doghouse."

Emerald opened her eyes. They seemed a little lighter than when she woke. A little less haunted. "What's he done now?"

Mercury chose to remain silent.

"Well, in Mountain Glenn, he created a different aura animal. A dragon Emerald. An actual dragon. It ripped the Grimm to shreds, but then he passed out afterwards. He was out for days. Then the day before yesterday I wake up and he's gone. Not even a note." Leaving Dad in the room did not count.

Emerald frowned. She angled her head back to look at him. "That wasn't very nice. Did you at least say sorry?"

"When I asked him." That had been after she had given him the silent treatment. "Then he said he was."

"Hmm…Do you think he was?"

Emerald was smiling a little. Ruby liked that. So did Mercury, which was probably why he wasn't trying to defend himself. That and he knew how much he had scared Ruby at the time.

"Not sorry enough. I was going to make him sleep alone for a night."

"Aw come on!"

"Maybe tomorrow though." Ruby's smile grew. It was already known that the beds were even smaller than the ones they had in Patch, so there wasn't really a way to get all three in the same bed. One of them was going to have to sleep alone and Emerald needed to heal. Ruby wanted to try for tonight though.

"Agreed," Emerald chuckled.

"You girls are evil."

"We could make it two nights Mercury," Emerald pointed out sweetly. She placed her hand on top of his.

"Then I'll make Yang take you out on her next shopping trip," Ruby added in the exact same tone.

Mercury shut up.

The girls giggled. Mercury narrowed his eyes, but didn't push his luck. Ruby wasn't sure which threat he was more afraid of. She didn't like throwing him out of the bed, she loved having him there, but it was very easy to put pressure on Emerald's wounds and it would be very painful for her if all three were so close together. As he pointed out, Ruby was much smaller so Emerald had more room.

This was something Ruby and Mercury had discussed before Emerald woke up and agreed to, but it hadn't been phrased as a punishment. That had been to try and make Emerald smile.

"Mercury?" Emerald prompted, confusion evident in the word.

"Yes?" His response was cautious.

"Is that a kitten?"

Ruby couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

* * *

They were always there. When Emerald woke from sleep, whether it was for a few minutes or a few hours, Ruby and Mercury were always there. It was easy to distract herself with them there.

The cuts were healing faster than expected. They merely took that as news, not good or bad.

The scars that remained. They would remain forever.

Mercury had been reluctant to talk about it, but he did say that the knife was Marcus'. The day of his death, Mercury had thrown all of the silver Dust weapons he could find into the basement and set the entire house ablaze. A construction digger would be needed to get at them. That knife was the one silver Dust weapon he remembered that he couldn't find in the house that day.

Yang, Taiyang and Qrow were often visiting. When Emerald initially woke up, Taiyang had been speaking with Waterbrook while Yang and Qrow had returned to Patch to grab some things, mostly a few tops Emerald had chosen to leave behind. It was fine, Emerald had picked it out and she liked it, but the main difference from what she usually wore was that it was a full t shirt rather than a crop top. It hid the damage.

For now, Taiyang and Qrow were staying in Vale. For her.

When Emerald finally left the infirmary, she stuck to her Quicksilver. She just didn't want to talk to anyone else. They understood this without having to be told and ran interference for the curious students. 'Emerald had been injured on the mission' was as much as they gave and only said that because they knew everyone was aware she had been in the infirmary. Mercury's condition wasn't known.

Emerald couldn't find the effort to participate in some lessons. The professors didn't call on her or draw attention to her and a few times she hadn't been mentally there at all. The other three kept good notes and they were the only way she got anything from those particular lessons. They snapped her out of her thoughts when they went too far and she was aware of how difficult she was being for them. She was trying. They had never complained or even commented. They were happy to work at her pace.

The week went by slowly.

Very late Friday night, Yang was sleeping a little fitfully. The trio weren't sleeping at all. Emerald was comfortable, but not tired. Numb would be a good word. Her Quicksilver were cradling her but she just felt heavy.

There were good days. There were okay days. There were bad days.

Every morning when she got changed, Emerald stared at those words. A message (a _promise_ ) that was not for her. That Emerald wasn't the actual target; that didn't make her feel better. It made her feel worse. She wasn't meant to be alive right now. That poison was supposed to kill her.

Emerald had thought she would die there. One thing she could say was that she was happy to be alive. To be in their arms again; to feel safe again. They said the words, but it didn't matter if they didn't: 'we love you'. They showed it. Always.

The wounds stung sometimes. Emerald had been offered painkillers, but she had refused them. She didn't like the idea of getting drugged with something else. The pain wasn't that bad. A sharp sting occasionally. When they healed as much as they were going to, then it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be much longer; she was healing faster than most.

"Gems? Would you like to go flying tonight?"

It took a few seconds for Emerald's brain to understand that question. When it did, she knew her answer. "Yeah. I'd like that." It had been a while since they had gone flying together.

Ruby leaned up so she could fiddle with the window. Mercury may be able to move through solid objects in his form but it was a trick she and Ruby couldn't replicate, though it wasn't something he could describe how to do.

The quetzalcoatl appeared, resting on Emerald's stomach. Despite what happened, it hadn't changed Mercury's view of her. With barely a thought, she reared up as she found herself in the serpent's body. She couldn't help but glance down. No words.

It was easier. Maybe it was the different limbs, maybe it was the very subtle feel of Mercury's aura, maybe it was something else, but it was easier.

The aura animal had originally been created by Mercury. She could sense his sorrow and guilt now. He couldn't block them out when they possessed them.

[I don't blame you Merc. At all.]

Emerald didn't. She didn't blame him for going on: she had told him to and if he stayed, he would have ended up in the same condition or worse given his advanced hearing. He had been her target from the beginning. He hadn't provoked Ginger at all. The reason that she was so obsessed with him was because he survived her torture and Emerald would never change that. The message may have been meant for him, but in no way was this his fault.

Ruby lay down again, holding the sleeping human Emerald close. The eagle appeared on her shoulder and she possessed it instantly. Once she got in the eagle, it was rather difficult to get her out.

Emerald understood the feeling. She was in no rush to return to her human body tonight.

Winged fox Mercury was hovering outside the window, waiting for them. When Ruby flew past, his muzzle brushed against her wing. [Tag.] Ruby immediately chased after him, but she was going to have to earn that tag back. He wasn't going to make it easy.

It was easy for Emerald to forget her troubles for a while.

Tonight would be a good night.

* * *

Qrow had seen a lot of bizarre things in his time. Seeing a red bird, a flying green snake and a flying silver fox playing what looked like a game of tag was definitely up there in the top three.

The kids knew Qrow and Tai were in Vale, as nearby as they could be. Sometimes they came over for a day out, including once when they should have been in class. He and Tai hadn't said anything. One look at Emerald and it was obvious she needed it. The professors were understanding and hadn't commented, not even to give them detention.

Currently, Qrow was in crow form on top of one of the spires. Their game took them around the spires, but he wasn't the only crow around and they paid no attention to the wildlife.

Seeing the three now (sort of), they were doing better. Whosever idea this was, it was a good one.

Ironwood hadn't found anything when he went to Mountain Glenn himself. He had managed to find six Faunus bodies with obvious Grimm wounds. That was it. No sign of the major players that the three had had to get by. No surprise there.

This had led to another argument in that Ironwood should have sent his men in from the very beginning. However, no matter how much he said it, even the hard headed general admitted it might not have occurred to him to look underground. Then Glynda pointed out that they would have heard his fleet coming and would have set the train off earlier. That would have definitely resulted in Grimm writing Vale city as their final address, no matter how temporary. Sending the scouts had kept the citizens safe.

Oz had only stepped in when the argument had gotten very heated.

As for the compromised students, most of the fourth year and about half of the third years at Beacon had been cleared. With the academy being so important in Atlas, Ironwood was looking at half first years, one third second years or about one quarter third years. Shade's documents had been of little use and Haven were double checking their sources before they gave figures.

Not exactly helpful information when they had been fairly sure from the beginning it was a first/second year or a non-existent student. But Qrow agreed that they had to start somewhere.

Ruby was 'it' and was having a very hard time actually tagging Emerald. She just kept twisting out of the way.

Those kids had more than done their part. Now they needed to rest, relax and recover. They may have a long way to go before they're healed, but they had made the first steps.

* * *

 **AN: When I first started writing this fic, I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to write it. It was always going to be a long story, but would it be in one fic or a series? As more chapters were written, it became obvious to me I was going to write it as a series. This is the first and will be finished soon as it has one chapter remaining.**

 **Thank you to everyone for reading. If there are any questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review.**


	22. Stinger

**AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY**

* * *

Changes in the plan were inevitable. This was one change Cinder did not agree with. Ironically, Dr Watts agreed with her for once. They chose not to comment on that. It was not the logic they disliked, but the rather large shift.

However, it was Salem herself that gave the order.

They had contacts and informants all over Remnant. However, some were still indecisive while others were already very loyal. A change, or more importantly an addition, had resulted in some long term alterations. As more intimate knowledge of the different civilisations was gained, it was natural changes would be made. The loyalty of these individuals was important and the new alliances were very useful.

This was just one change Cinder had never considered.

And that was before the report that the train had been derailed before it arrived at its destination.

In the long run, the actual act was not the most important part. While not in the numbers that would have resulted if the job was a success, more ships had been arriving from Atlas. This would unnerve the public more, as there was currently no obvious justification for it. That was one bonus of the job being an 'official failure'.

Emerald's condition would certainly unnerve their war council.

Cinder sighed. Those two had become quite the trouble.

She had wanted Emerald alive and unharmed. She had always been the more loyal and Cinder could not fault her for doing what she had to in order to survive. While Emerald was no longer necessary, she may have proved useful later and the fact that Emerald had not refused gave Cinder more incentive to capture rather than kill. That would not happen now, although how Emerald survived that poison was unknown. The only explanation was that Mercury carried an antidote; as an assassin he would know the popular and common poisons. If Emerald had been neutral before, she certainly wouldn't be now.

In hindsight, sending Ginger and Pepper to Mountain Glenn had been a mistake. They were excellent at keeping Roman in line and keeping them in the city of Vale was going to attract attention. Cinder's mistake had been to think that ZBRN would be sent there, not RMEY. Blake Belladonna was well known in the White Fang and had been the common factor. Her sources in Beacon had reported she was heading to the west and so they were not expecting too much trouble. Even so, they had planned a broad strategy in case someone came early. How RMEY found out about it was uncertain; Blake Belladonna had not even shared the details of the White Fang with her team.

The job was not a complete failure. They had learned something very interesting and very important.

Mercury Black was a threat. An Aura Wielder was a threat. Those combined statements made for a very game changing opponent, especially as he knew how the game was played.

Had Cinder known he was an Aura Wielder, she would not have focused on using him as a host for a Grimm. However, then the problem would have been how to control him. Thinking back onto their discussions when he had been her 'guest' made Cinder wonder how much of that was true and what was lies. Perhaps he had already made a deal, but his standing wasn't good enough to play spy. Rather than wait in prison before being executed, he chose to let to Cinder do it. He had been genuinely surprised to be left alive. How he survived was something Cinder was unsure of, especially as he had had a too slow pulse to detect.

Ginger had reported that Mercury said he got rid of the Grimm mark. If that's true, it's possible the Aura Wielder tattoo helped to remove it. While Ginger and Pepper were very useful allies, they were too unpredictable and were very difficult to control. That was one reason why they were sent to Mountain Glenn originally and why they were being sent out of Vale.

Emerald could be killed, but was preferred alive. Mercury was wanted alive. That would not be easy. The one on one finals would be the best time to consider an attempt.

The Fall Maiden had been seen around Vale. For the time being, she would be monitored from a distance. Right now, attacking her would be counter-productive. The current report from Beacon was that if the new Spring Maiden was one of the students, they were hiding their power remarkably well. There also didn't appear to be favouritism from the teachers and the Fall Maiden hadn't entered Beacon, so she wasn't acting as a tutor.

It was very possible and even likely they don't know who it is. They didn't know who it was originally until after she was dead.

There was no current news on the Summer or Winter Maidens.

The Vytal Festival Tournament was approaching. While Cinder's part in the plan had not changed much, there was still much to do. It was possible the new Spring Maiden would incriminate herself, but it wasn't likely. Cinder had inherited the previous Maiden's control when she stole it. Inheriting the power naturally required it to be built up naturally. If the girl didn't know the danger, she would save it as a secret weapon. An ideal target, especially as she had very little power in comparison.

Their contacts were in place. Overall, while exact actions were not successful, their desired wishes were going according to plan. The virus and Atlas fleet were in position. Those had been the most difficult factors.

If Tyrian and the twins of the triplets are successful, then the game was stacked heavily in their favour. The longer that success goes unnoticed, the more they gain.

Now, it was the calm before the storm.

Soon.

* * *

 **AN: This ends 'Pawns and Players of Fate'. The overall series is called 'Destiny's Web'.**

 **The sequel is up, but I will say it is a crossover. If I'm honest, I tried very hard to keep it in RWBY's universe, but there were several key plot points or other important things that occur elsewhere. It is a crossover for a very good reason. The next installment is called 'Veil of War' and is available on my profile. The first chapter is already up.**

 **Thank you very much for reading this story.**


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